Say Goodbye to Yesterday
by dragonlots
Summary: Not long after his wife's death, Dr. Benton Quest attends a conference in NYC. The boys keep disappearing and a special team helps him out. Guest appearances from SG1, SGA, DS, Kindred, Ironman, Batman and BSG 1978. Prequel story to Always Comes Back to Haunt Us.
1. Chapter 1

Say Goodbye to Yesterday

Dragonlots aka Dana Bell

"How come we had to come along?" Jonny asked, slumping against the leather seat of the limo. His typical black shirt and jeans were slightly crumpled and Benton suspected his son might have slept in them.

"Because we were invited." He hadn't traveled much since his wife's death and he normally enjoyed attending conferences. They presented opportunities to mingle with his fellow scientists and discuss new ideas or theories.

"So this is New York City." Hadji gazed out the window his amazed expression bringing a smile to his adoptive father's lips. It never bothered him the boy liked to dress as he had in India.

"Yeah, it is." Race glanced at him before focusing his attention on the boy.

"Who was it you said you spoke to?" He asked his friend and body guard. In the background he could hear cars honking and a few loud conversations.

"Marari Collins Pryor. Said she was with the Phoenix Foundation."

Inwardly he groaned. Phoenix, located somewhere in LA was run by Matilda Webber. A tough woman he admired and sometimes hated at the same time. He'd worked on several projects with them as a consultant and wondered exactly what type of agency they actually were.

"Don't worry, Doc. Ms. Pryor is very good at her job."

"I hope so." He didn't want to have to worry about the boys getting into trouble. "You brought their school books?"

Jonny gave him a dirty look. Hadji kept looking out the window.

"Got it covered," Race assured him.

The limo stopped and driver got out, opening the door for them. To Benton it was a typical hotel with a rotating glass door and very tall with many windows, some of which might give a give view of the city. A doorman waited, unloading their luggage and placing it on a rack. They followed him inside to the check in desk where they received a warm smile from young man waiting at the gleaming wooden desk.

"Welcome Dr. Quest."

"Thank you."

"We understand you're here for the conference."

"I am." He knew the pleasant conversation offered was part of their customer service and he had no reason to begrudge the man in the dark blue suit any malice.

As he turned, he noticed a woman come down the carpeted stairs, wearing a simple green and blue dress with silver moon shaped earrings and matching necklace.

"You must be Race Bannon." She greeted his bodyguard with a smile. "We spoke on the phone."

"Hello, Ms. Pryor. Nice to meet you in person."

Benton hid his grin behind his hand. The smile Race gave the woman he'd used numerous times and it normally secured him a date.

"And you as well." Her eyes flicked over the boys and focused on him. "You have to be Dr. Benton Quest. I've heard a great deal about you."

"Thank you for arranging this."

"Part of my job," she returned. "I discovered there's a game room here, boys."

Both boys perked up.

"Really?" Jonny sounded like it was too much to hope for.

"When I heard you were coming, I'd thought I'd make sure you had some fun as well."

Jonny grinned, his happiness reflected in his blue eyes. Benton swallowed as it reminded him of his wife.

"Looks like you're all checked in. Social hour starts at seven and the banquet at eight. Programming in the morning begins at around nine."

"I suppose you have the schedule memorized," Race teased.

"Not really." She held up her cell phone. "I have it all saved here."

Her slight movement revealed she had device in her ear. She noticed his attention and he glanced away.

"We're trying out a new com system developed at our labs," she explained. "Please let me now if you need anything." She moved away from them to meet another group.

"Let's go." Race herded the boys to the elevators, the door man pushing the loaded cart following them.

Benton took one last look at the woman before joining them. Marari Collins Pryor wasn't what he'd call an attractive woman, yet she had an unidentifiable allure he couldn't put his finger on.

"What floor, Doc?"

"Seven."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Benton skipped the social hour and arrived a few minutes early for dinner. He hadn't worn his dark suit for a while and felt slightly uncomfortable. Race stood beside him, looking completely at ease in white pants and dark jacket.

"Don't worry about the boys," Race reassured him again. "They'll be fine for a couple of hours." He chuckled. "I can't believe Ms. Pryor had pizza delivered to the room."

"Yes, that was quite thoughtful."

His sons had loved it. They'd settled down to pizza, soda and a super hero movie.

The hostess greeted them, got their names and motioned to someone. Moments later Marari Pryor appeared. "Good evening, gentlemen. This way please." She led them through the maze of tables stopping at one near the stage.

Noticing the name tags of their table mates, Benton wondered why he'd been so honored.

Ms. Pryor didn't miss his glance. "Senator Collins insisted. He's a great admirer of your work."

Her eyes darted to the door. "I see some of your other table mates have arrived. If you'll excuse me." She gracefully moved away, her long purple dress swaying lightly.

Race looked at him and back at her, wisely keeping his silence. One of the many things he appreciated about his bodyguard.

Both sat, not saying anything until she brought the group to their table. "This is Dr. Benton Quest and Race Bannon. You'll be dining with Colonel John Sheppard." A dark haired man in uniform with dark hair that didn't look combed grinned. "Doctors Samantha Carter." The blond wore a long black dress. " Rodney McKay." He didn't look comfortable in his suit and had around face with short darker hair. "And Daniel Jackson." He wore a brown suit and gave Dr. Quest a friendly smile.

Benton had spoken with Dr. Jackson about languages numerous times. He always enjoyed their conversations.

"Nice to finally meet you in person," the linguist said, taking the chair next to him.

"You as well." They shook hands. "Did you ever find the key to the language you asked me about?"

"I did."

Dr. McKay sat next to the soldier, and Dr. Carter sat next to Race. His friend smiled at her, but made no attempt to flirt.

"So you're the famous Dr. Quest," the soldier said.

"Behave yourself, John." Marari lightly rested her hand on his shoulder. Benton frowned, wondering at her familiarity.

"I see the senator has arrived. I'll be right back."

"She knows us," Dr. Jackson supplied as if sensing his question.

Dr. Carter added, "We work quite closely with the Phoenix Foundation and the OSI."

He heard a snort from Dr. McKay. "If you call what they do working with us."

"Rodney," the Colonel warned. "Behave yourself."

Noise in the room quieted as Senator Collins walked through, greeting many and taking the time to shake hands, or perhaps have a private word.

"Word is, he's going to run for president," Race informed him.

"Is that official?" Seeing how popular the man seemed to be, the rumor might be true.

"Not yet."

The dark haired yet oddly pale man finally reached their table. From the cut of the dark suit, Benton new the man had expensive tastes. The senator sat down and glanced at the woman.

"I'll be joining you in a few minutes, cousin. In the meantime, allow everyone to introduce themselves and get acquainted." She darted away.

"Cousin?" Benton asked.

"Distantly," the senator replied. He had a faint accent.

"So," Dr. Jackson started out. "Are you running for president, Senator?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"How come I get stuck in the backroom?" Jack Dalton complained in her ear.

Marari sighed. "We've already had this discussion, Jack. Mac can keep up with most the scientists in this room. He's the brains, you're the brawn."

"I see at least one packing body guard."

"Race Bannon was cleared ahead of time by I-1. They don't want anything to happen to their star scientist."

"I look good in a suit," he continued.

She reached MacGyver standing next to the hostess. "Will you please tell Jack to shut up."

"Hey, I heard that."

Mac said quietly, "Then listen, Jack."

"You're sitting at the same table as Dr. Quest." She grinned teasingly at him. "Try not to go all fanboy."

"You're sitting there, too, right?"

She nodded.

They started across the room. Mac wore a nice suit, and she had to admit he looked good in it. Normally he wore jeans and a shirt along with tennis shoes. His blond hair had been combed away from his face reminding her, if he'd been her type, how good looking he was.

"I'll be joining you shortly. Want me to use your first name?"

He grimaced. "Not really."

"Try to keep out of trouble."

"Only if it comes looking for me."

"Which is all the time."

"Hey," Jack whined. "Stop ignoring me."

"Just do your job," Mac responded, with more patience than Marari would have had.

"Hello everyone," the conversation around the table quieted. "This is MacGyver."

Mac took the seat next to Dr. Jackson leaving the one next to her cousin open. She gave him a quick wink of thanks before returning to the front to seat other attendees.

Thirty minutes later, since no banquet ever got started on time, she returned to the table, to find the group chatting and relaxed when she saw several smiles. Barnabas saw her and rose, pulling out her chair.

"Thank you." She sat and her cousin returned to his.

Mac leaned toward her. "Running late?"

"Not unexpected. We have a few special dinners due to allergies and diet restrictions. Dr. McKay is one of them."

"Glad I wasn't part of that."

"You're doing your job."

"Something from the bar miss?" a white clad waiter inquired. She hadn't heard him and it unnerved her.

"Nothing. Thank you."

"Sir?" He looked at MacGyver.

"I'm good."

Mac liked beer, but his declining didn't surprise her. They were both on 'duty' so to speak.

Race picked up his wine glass and took a sip. "So who do you work for MacGyver?"

"Freelance."

Mattie had cover stories for all of them, which had been made close to the truth so they didn't have to lie.

"You're Phoenix Foundation." Dr. Quest nailed it and she glanced at Mac to see how he reacted.

"Sometimes." He gave them his most disarming smile. "I teach too."

Not a complete untruth. Mac taught a couple of classes at a local college.

"My guess," the scientist continued, "is the rest of you work at a classified project you can't talk about."

John nodded. "Pretty much."

"We can talk about the science," Rodney objected. "Just not where we obtained the information."

Dr. Quest's eyes rested on her. "But you know."

"I'm one of the few who is cleared." No need to go into why. He had clearance up to a certain level it just didn't include the SGC. Besides, General O'Neill for some reason didn't like the man and she hadn't been able to ferret out why.

Their waiter appeared at their table, handing out salads. She'd have to keep close watch on what Dr. McKay was served since she knew he had a citrus allergy.

The offering rested in front of her and she nibbled at it, not very hungry. Her stomach felt like it had been twisted into several knots.

"Better eat," Jack said. "Keep up your strength."

If she had her way, she'd turn off the ear piece completely. Mattie wouldn't like it and she reported directly to her. Mac's team had been assigned and she'd worked hard to get along with the odd little group who were more like a family than agents.

The tension around the table was noticeable and she could see it in the various faces. She hoped no explosion happened because of clashing personalities. It would be her job to calm everyone down and make certain nothing ended up being streamed online. Too many lives depended on it.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After the speeches ended, Dr. Quest left quickly, not wanting to speak to anyone. Granted his trip had been about the same as others who would be attending, but he was a bit out of practice and tired.

"What's the hurry, Doc?" Race pressed the elevator button.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for this."

A sympathetic look crossed the other man's face. "You can't hide forever."

Benton sighed. "I know. When we get back we need to shut down our Mexico compound and relocate."

"Back to Florida?"

"I was thinking Maine."

"Pretty drastic."

"I need a change." Too many reminders of his wife remained at their Florida home and he wasn't ready to face them yet.

"Want me to start arranging it?"

"No. I want to talk to the boys first."

The elevator pinged and they got on. Marari darted in as the doors started to close. "Sorry. Four please."

He pressed the button, his eyes resting on her for longer than they should. Her dark brown hair rested on her shoulders, part of it pulled back by a flower matching her dress. She wore the same earrings and necklace from earlier. On her left hand he noticed an odd ring with a sandy colored center and two yellow jewels. He wondered if she was married.

They stopped. "I'm sure I'll see you two around. Good night." She left, giving them both a friendly smile. Benton noticed the ear piece was gone.

He watched the doors close.

"She's kind of pretty," Race commented.

"I hadn't noticed."

"Right."

They rode up the next three floors in silence.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Everything all right?" Lillie called from the other room of the hotel suite.

"Fine," Marari answered. "Barnabas took a limo back to the airport. There's some sort of vote on the senate floor and he needs to be there tomorrow." She slipped off her shoes and reminded herself not to wear heels again. They hurt her feet.

"Too bad." Lillie appeared, decked out in a short red dress, her brown hair framing her lovely face. "I was rather hoping he'd accompany us to the club tonight."

"You and Julian still going out?" She settled into a comfortable chair. They'd stayed at this suite many times in the past. It had three bedrooms, a small kitchen and a sitting area.

Julian and Lillie were both long-time friends of her cousin's and business associates. They just happened to be in the city at the same time. Since she'd visited their home in San Francisco many times, it seemed perfectly normal to share.

"Soon as he gets back." She gracefully sat down. "How'd the banquet go?"

"About as I expected. The chef did a good job and we had no allergy reactions."

"And the speeches?"

"We managed to keep to under thirty minutes. Got everyone welcomed and general announcements made. Luckily, other than the breakfast buffet, everyone will be on their own for meals."

"Meet anyone interesting?"

"Not really."

"Not even the handsome Dr. Quest?"

"He's in mourning, Lillie, and so am I." She twisted the ring she still wore.

"You have to start living again at some point."

"There's no time limit."

The door opened and Julian smiled at them. "Give me five minutes and I'll be ready to go." He darted into the bedroom.

"You could come with us," Lillie offered.

"No." She shook her head. "I'm meeting the team early tomorrow to go over security details. I need to try to get some sleep."

Julian stepped out, dressed nicely, his black hair in place and looking every bit like the Italian gentlemen he was. He owned several businesses in San Francesco plus a vineyard that produced one of the best California wines. "I trust you're taking a rest after this is all over."

"That an invitation?" she teased.

"My home is always open if you want to visit."

Might be an idea she should seriously consider. She hated her apartment in LA and visiting the Victorian Mansion might just be the break she'd been needing. "Cook for me?"

He smiled warmly and she understood why women considered him handsome and attractive. "Would be my pleasure."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Her phone buzzed and Marari frowned. She liked to sit on various presentations and sat in the back. After looking to see who it was and she answered immediately. "Hello, Mr. Bannon, what can I do for you?"

"Race," he corrected. "The boys are missing."

"How long?" she eased out the door, trying not to make too much noise. Too bad. She'd been enjoying Dr. McKay's talk, although his arrogant attitude, which she was used to, had managed to alienate about half the audience. Some had even left.

"We're not sure. They came down with us for breakfast and then went back up to our room. When we went to check on them before lunch we found their school books scattered on the floor, but they weren't there."

"Did you check the game room?"

"Where is it?"

"One level below the lobby. Do you need more assistance?"

She heard him say a few words to someone else and assumed it was probably Dr. Quest.

"Not quite yet. Dr. Quest is on the way to his presentation. I'll look for the boys."

"I do have a team who can help." She cringed at including them. Jack would go all macho. Mac would be fine as would Bozer. Riley would use her laptop to check out possible spots they could have gone. Might not be a bad idea to include their computer expert.

"Thanks. If I need help I'll let you know." The line went dead.

Quickly she dialed Riley. "What's up?" she younger woman asked.

"The Quest kids are missing. Can you check places close by they might want to go."

"How old are they?"

"Twelve and thirteen."

"Only places within walking distance, is a pizza shop and ice cream parlor. Uh, oh." That didn't sound good. "There's also a subway stop."

"Thanks, Riley."

"Want me to send Jack and Bozer?"

Race had said no, but she suspected they'd need more help. "Have them meet me in the lobby."

"Done."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After checking the game room, currently completely empty, Race headed back upstairs to the lobby. He found Marari waiting for him along with two men he suspected were Phoenix agents.

"This is Jack and Bozer," she introduced the two. "There's a pizza shop close by and an ice cream parlor."

He nodded. "We'll start there."

She added, "There's also a subway station."

"They better not have," he muttered heading for the door, not waiting to see if the two agents followed.

"We'll take the pizza shop," the older man offered. He certainly didn't look like an agent with his t-shirt and jeans. His friend had dark skin and dressed casually as well.

"I'll try the ice cream place." Both boys loved the treat. He just hoped they hadn't taken the subway. They might never find them.

Twenty minutes later the two parties met up again outside the hotel.

"Think they took the subway?" Jack asked.

"I hope not." They hadn't turned up and he began to get worried. The last thing Dr. Quest needed was to have the boys go missing and having to issue an Amber alert.

Ms. Pryor stuck her head out the door. "Found them. They decided to attend Dr. Jackson's lecture."

"Dr. Jackson?" He couldn't figure out why.

"He's an expert on ancient Egypt and I gather they were studying it."

Race sighed in relief. Lucky for everyone the boys hadn't wandered far. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Colonel Sheppard showed up a few minutes after you left and I mentioned the boys had disappeared. He'd just seen them."

"Chalk one up for the military."

"I texted Daniel and asked him to escort the boys to me when he finished." She turned to Jack and Bozer. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem. Nice to get out." Jack grinned at her.

Both men went back inside.

"Where are they hiding?" he asked.

"Where they're supposed to be." He followed her back inside. "You might want to let Dr. Quest know his sons are fine."

"Heading there now."

"Good." She took off up the stairs and he wondered what all her duties included. With a shake of his head he went to find the doc and let him know the boys had been found.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Benton spotted the Marari Pryor in the lobby. She stood talking with an older gentlemen and it took maybe a second to realize who it was. General Jack O'Neill. He seriously considered finding her later, but gathering his courage, walked up them. "Ms. Pyror."

"Hello, Dr. Quest." She gave the general a look. "I believe they're waiting for you in the main dining room."

"Thank you, Miss Collins." The general nodded his head. "Dr. Quest." He strode off.

"I'm sorry you two don't get along."

"It's a long story."

"Always is." She offered him a smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Race told me what happened. Thank you for helping find the boys."

"You should really thank Colonel Sheppard."

"I will if I see him." He glanced down feeling like he was sixteen again. "Dr. Jackson brought the boys back to our room." Shaking his head he continued, "He gave them a history lesson on ancient Egypt before he left."

"That sounds like Daniel."

"Know him well?" He honestly was curious.

"Pretty much. I've been part of that project almost since the beginning, thanks to Barnabas. Mattie just made certain I stayed on it when I went to work for her."

"Look." He took a deep breath. "I'd like to take you out dinner to say thank you for all the help you've given us."

She looked at him speculatively. He noticed for the first time her eyes were a deep golden brown. "Just you?"

"Yeah." He wondered if his face had turned red. "Race and the boys are going out tonight for pizza and ice cream, then back here for the overnight Marvel Movie marathon."

Marari laughed. "Have you any idea how hard I had to push to get that on the schedule?"

"That difficult?"

"They thought I was crazy. So far almost everyone has let me know they're going. I guess the idea of attending an event in their PJs with popcorn and hot cocoa appeals to any age group."

"Are you going?" He might attend if she was.

"No. I've seen all the films. Besides, the real Anthony Stark will be here tomorrow to give a presentation on some new alternative power source he's discovered."

He frowned. "I didn't see it on the schedule."

"It was added a couple of hours ago. You should have been notified via text, if you signed up."

"Haven't checked my phone."

"The details should be there. What time did you want to go to dinner?"

"In about an hour?"

"I should be free by then. Meet you in lobby."

"I'll see you then." He walked away feeling like his feet never touched the carpet.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Where would you like to go?" he asked as they left the hotel.

"No place fancy. I get enough of that with Barnabas and sometimes Julian."

"Julian Luna?" He knew about the business man, but they'd never met.

She nodded. "They're old friends and are also staying at the hotel."

"Attending the conference?" Benton hadn't heard anything about it.

"No. Julian has a suite he always has booked for him. Barnabas and I use it when we're in town. I'm sharing it with Julian and Lillie. She owns a string of night clubs and, from what little she's said, there's an issue with the one here."

"Interesting."

"That's one word for it." Her face told him there was more to the story.

"From what I've heard, you travel with your cousin quite a bit." He hoped what he'd heard was true.

"I do." She stopped. "Here."

It looked like a hole in the wall place. Lights flickered out the window and spicy scents wafted through the open door.

"Let's give it a try." Might be a fun change Benton decided.

Inside, the owner waved to them. "Any table you like folks."

"Quaint." He wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Places like this usually have great food." She dragged him to the back. The table had a lacy covering and the chairs at least were comfortable. Grabbing the menu, she glanced through it. "Nice mix."

He checked it out too, pleasantly surprised.

"Evening folks," a pleasant woman greeted. She wore a while uniform with a red apron. "What can I get you to drink?"

"I'd like to try your hot chocolate," Marari said.

Their waitress grinned. "And you sir?"

"Coffee."

"Be right back."

He studied Marari, his eyes drifting to the ring she wore.

"I'm widowed," she answered his unasked question.

"I didn't think I was that obvious."

"Used to being asked."

"Here you go." His coffee and his guest's hot chocolate appeared. "Made up your mind yet?"

"I'd like to try your chicken dish." Marari sipped her chocolate.

At home, he ate a lot of fish and sea food. It didn't sound good tonight. "I'll have the steak stir fry."

"Great choices. Have those up as soon as they're ready."

He sipped his coffee, pleasantly surprised how good it was. "I think you're right about this place."

"Normally am." She took another drink. "I don't know what they did to this chocolate, but it's really good."

"Think they'd tell us?"

"Doubt it."

A silence settled over them and Benton had no idea how to break it. He hadn't been on a date, and he forced himself to admit whatever the pretext it was one, in a very long time.

"There's tons of way to start a conversation."

He started. "Sorry?"

"I spend a lot of my time just listening. Barnabas will later ask my opinion on what I heard."

"You remember the conversation?"

"Not word for word. I have more of a feel for how it went." She shook her head. "It's hard to describe."

"Why do you still wear your wedding ring?" He hadn't meant to ask that bluntly. "I'm sorry. That's none of my business."

"It's okay. Protection mostly to keep from being asked out." She looked at the ring. "My husband was a big Star Wars fan. Our first date was to sit and watch all the movies." Marari took the ring off and handed it to him. Carefully he took it understanding how important it was to her. It had been designed to have a sand colored stone in the center with two yellow ones on each side, set in a simple gold band.

"Tatootine with its two suns." She shrugged. "His idea of romance."

"Makes it special." He gave it back.

"It does. Luckily, I'm as big of a fan as he was."

"If you don't mind sharing, what happened?"

"Died in the line of duty." Her eyes glistened. "His team went out and they didn't come back."

He hated to ask. "How long ago?"

"Two years."

"I lost my wife recently."

"I know, Dr. Quest. It was all in your file."

"You saw it?" He hadn't meant to snap.

"Part of the security protocol. I volunteered to look after your family, so only Mattie and I have seen it." She reached out and placed her hand over his. "Best advice I can give you is take your time and let yourself grieve. You heal when you heal. Don't try to rush it and don't let anyone push you about getting over it."

His throat felt like something thick sat there. "Are you?"

"Not completely." He felt her remove her hand. "They weren't able to retrieve his body. Nothing worse than burying an empty casket."

"I know how that feels."

"I figured you would."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Anthony Stark's presentation turned out to be standing room only. Marari had spent all morning rearranging times for other presenters as everyone wanted to attend. She'd managed it and stood in the back of the room listening.

He'd been talking nonstop for thirty minutes, cracking jokes and using jargon she only half understood. Truthfully, he was even more arrogant than the Marvel character, good looking, for a man of his age, and wore sweats with tennis shoes. Lucky for him, no one at the conference cared how he looked. Probably why he'd dressed that way.

When he finished there were a ton of questions and she had so sneak out to push back some of the afternoon presentations. Either that, or cancel lunch time altogether. The dining area currently sat empty, so she sat down and pulled out her laptop.

"So," Jack sat down across the table from her. "How'd your date go?"

"Wasn't a date."

"Man takes you to dinner. Alone. It's a date."

"I go to dinner with Barnabas and Julian all the time."

"You go on business dinners with them."

"Jack." She looked up at him. "Mr. Stark has totally screwed up the schedule and it's my job to fix it. Will you please go away so I can do my job."

"I wanna hear about your date."

"Not now and it wasn't a date." She moved a couple things around and texted everyone. "He just wanted to say thank you for finding his boys."

"It was a date."

"Unless you want to end up across the room, I suggest you go away now."

"You threatening me?" He grinned like an excited school boy.

"I know how to take care of myself. My husband made sure of that and Mattie had me take some training."

"Jack," Mac called. "Leave Marari alone so she can do her job."

"But Mac, she had a date."

"Get him out of here, Mac, before I do something we'll both regret."

"Come on, Jack. The Quest kids are missing again."

"Don't they ever stay put." Jack got to his feet.

"Check Stark's presentation first," she told them. "I'd bet they snuck down to listen."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sunday afternoon rolled around. Benton had to admit he'd enjoyed the conference, despite the boys constantly sneaking off to attend various events. Race had made them write a two page paper about what they'd learned just to make sure they really had attended.

They'd checked out and their luggage was stacked on a rack. A limo would be arriving shortly to take them back to the airport.

"Wish we could have brought Bandit." Jonny looked forlorn.

"The hotel doesn't allow pets, kiddo." Race smiled at the boy.

"I know."

"It was interesting," Hadji put in. "What we learned about ancient Egypt from Dr. Jackson was most enlightening."

"And you probably only heard a portion of what he's learned." Marari joined them. "I trust you enjoyed the conference, Dr. Quest."

"Very much."

"I heard quite a few say they were happy you came. You're well thought of."

He saw Race glance from him to Marari, with a questioning look.

"Thank you making our stay easier." She'd been very good about helping look for the boys and not getting upset about it.

Jonny piped up. "I really liked the movie night with the popcorn and hot cocoa."

She smiled. "I got a lot of positive feedback about that."

"What did you think about Stark's presentation?" Benton wanted to know.

"I don't think I understood half of what he said and I don't have the background to."

"I'm going to working with him."

"Good for you. Just watch out for his razor sharp humor."

He laughed. "I think I can handle it."

Race's phone beeped. "Limo's here."

"Go on out, Race. I'll be right there."

"Sure thing." He grabbed the rack. "Come on boys."

The trio headed for the door.

"Quite a family you have."

"I'm very lucky." He took a breath. "Can we talk? Now and again."

"Hand me your phone."

He handed it over and she entered her number. "If you don't reach me, just leave a message. I'm good about calling back."

"Where to next for you?" He knew his family was waiting and should leave, yet he had to ask.

"Back to LA, then maybe San Francisco, and back to the project."

He had a question he wanted to ask, but decided it wasn't time. They hadn't had a chance to get to know each other well enough yet. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome. I'm a good listener, if you need to talk." She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Take care of yourself."

"I will." He headed for the door. When they got back to Mexico, they would need to pack up, free the dolphins and move to Maine. That would be enough change for now. He'd have time to decide if he wanted to make more.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Handsome."

Marari glanced over at Lillie who had joined her in the lobby. "I thought you two left early this morning."

"Julian had one more meeting before he leaves. He's not happy with his stock broker."

"So I heard."

"You'll be coming to visit us."

"For a short time." She looked at the ring on her finger, gently taking it off and transferring it to her right hand.

"Wondered when you were going to do that." Lillie's tone was gentle.

"I had a long talk with General O'Neill."

"And the rest you can't talk about."

"Classified."

"Hey, Marari."

Jack again. She just wanted to string him up. Lillie laughed. "If you'd like a ride, let me know."

"I will."

Lillie left, but she didn't miss the many men watching her with their eyes.

Mac and his team joined her. "We're heading out," Mac told her. "Mattie has a debriefing set up tomorrow morning."

"Tell Mattie I'll be attending via phone. I'm catching a ride home with Julian and Lillie and will be staying with them."

"Oh, I don't know," Jack said. "She's not going to like that."

"No, she won't." They'd have a private discussion about it later.

"Hey, guys." Riley pointed to the door. "We'd better get going or we'll miss our flight."

"Right," Mac agreed. "Think you'll work with us again?"

"Never know. Have a good flight home."

She watched the four leave, a slight smile on her lips. They hadn't been too bad and every bit what she'd heard about them. They certainly were a tight knit family.

In the meantime she had some last minute details to take care of before the conference could be officially closed down. Once those were done, she'd catch a ride with Julian and Lillie and stay in San Francisco for a few days before heading back to Maine and Atlantis.

As she headed up the stairs, Marari suddenly recalled that Dr. Quest had a compound in Maine. Wouldn't it be intriguing if he relocated there?

 _Stop the wishful thinking girl_ , she chided herself. _You have work to do._

*Author's note. This is a background story for some of what will be happening in Always Comes Back to Haunt Us. It introduces why Dr. Quest has at least met the group from the SGC, although not why he and General O'Neill don't get along.

This is set after the Jonny Quest movie, Jonny's Golden Quest and before they moved to the Maine compound.


	2. Chapter 2

Say Goodbye to Yesterday

Dragonlots aka Dana Bell

Chapter 2

Thunder rolled overhead and thick drops splattered on the roof. Lillie quietly descended the carpeted stairs moving through the house with an easy familiarity. It didn't matter the lights were off.

Under the kitchen door light escaped and she entered the room, stopping to look at the figure sitting at the wooden island. A cup sat in front of her long-time friend and from the slight shaking of the other woman's hands, she knew Marari was frightened.

"You're up late," Lillie said, moving to the wine fridge and locating the open bottle from dinner. She poured herself a half glass and sipped, savoring the tart taste.

"It's ridiculous." Marari took a sip of her tea and set the cup back down. "I can face down a Wraith hell bent on killing me and yet cower in the corner like a terrified child because of a thunder storm."

"We all have things we're afraid of." Hers had to do with someone killing the Prince, Julian Luna. Lillie sat in the chair beside Marari. "You always make yourself a cup of tea."

"Helps calm me down." Her friend wore a teal housecoat over her gown and matching fuzzy slippers.

Thunder shook the house so hard the dishes rattled. Rain thudded against the windows and it concerned Lillie they might break.

"Have you heard from him yet?" Lillie tried a different tactic to help calm her friend.

"Heard from who? Barnabas knows I'm taking some time off as does Mattie and Colonel Sheppard."

"I'm referring to the handsome Dr. Quest." The scientist had watched Marari constantly during the conference. Lillie had watched the two notice and try to ignore each other.

Marari sighed. "He's still in mourning."

Taking another drink, Lillie waited to make her next move. "Did he get your number?"

"He didn't ask for it."

"Not what I asked."

"It doesn't matter." Marari got up and put her cup in the dishwasher. "Julian out tonight?"

"He is." Lillie couldn't be sure what type of business Julian was handling. Could be Kindred, could be any number interests he owned.

"I'm glad I decided to come here. It was past time for a break."

What sounded like pebbles started hitting the roof. Lillie made a face. Hail. "What some wine?"

"No." Marari headed for the door. "I'm going to go hide under the covers until this storm stops."

The door opened and closed. Marari knew the house as well as Lillie did. She finished her wine and decided to return to bed. With any luck the power wouldn't go out. Even if it did, for her, it wouldn't matter.

Julian liked to keep a few things old fashioned. Candles and matches sat on every bed stand. Not that Kindred actually needed light. They could see just fine in the dark.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Morning dawned dark and windy rain still falling in huge drops. Marari crawled out of her warm bed, taking a quick shower and tossing on some comfortable clothes. A glance at her phone told her it was around six. Most living in the house would slumber until night. Normal for Julian's household.

Downstairs she rummaged through the fridge, finding some eggs, veggies and cheese. An omelet sounded good for breakfast. It amazed her Julian's fridge seemed to be always stocked, considering no one in the house actually ate food unless they had company.

Once she'd cooked her breakfast, she ate in the eerie quiet of the old Victorian, eating her food and drinking her tea. The weather would prevent her from doing much, so maybe she'd work on some of the post conference reports Mattie had asked for and latter run stats for Dr. McKay or check out the new language Dr. Jackson had been trying to unravel.

Back in her room, she placed her cup on the bed stand and pulled out her laptop. With the covers pulled over her lap, Marari went to work. She had a hard time concentrating since Mattie had been less than pleased when she'd called in for the post mission briefing a couple of days ago. Not that it mattered. She wouldn't have given up a jet ride with old friends for anything.

Her ring tone stopped her train of thought and she frowned, picking it up. She didn't recognize the number, but recognized the Maine area code. "Hello?"

A bit of silence on the other end. "I didn't wake you did I? I know there's a time difference."

"No. I've been up for a while." Marari couldn't quite place the familiar voice.

"You probably don't know the number." A brief pause. "This is Dr. Benton Quest."

Of course. She'd enjoyed his pleasant baritone voice and was secretly glad he'd finally called. "I'll have to save your number."

"I don't give it to many."

"Don't blame you." Lord knew the man had enemies. Not to mention the number of scientists who probably wanted to consult with him and he had a reputation for wanting to keep his privacy.

Both of them got quiet uncertain what to say. He finally said, "You were one who said there were many ways to start a conversation."

She chuckled pleased he'd remembered she had. "Sometimes awkward for two people who don't know each other well."

"We didn't get a lot of time at the conference," he agreed. "Did you take the break you talked about?"

"Yes. Still at Julian's."

She heard noise in the background and guessed the children had gotten up. "Always that noisy?"

He laughed. "I prefer it to silence."

"My mom used to say silence meant kids were up to something."

"Very true." Barking started up. "I'd better go. We try to eat breakfast together."

"Sounds like a great tradition."

"It is."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Dr. Quest hung up wishing he had more time to talk to Marari. They hadn't had a lot of time at the conference to get to know each other and although she wasn't really his type, he had to admit he liked her. More than liked her if he forced himself to get honest.

With a shake of his head he went to join his family. Race stood at the stove, frying eggs and bacon. The meat smell filled the kitchen. A metal bowl sat next to the pan and he assumed pancakes had been added to the menu.

Jonny, in his blue pajamas and Hadji in his brown ones were busy feeding Bandit, who wagged his short tail and barked excitedly.

"Where's Jessie?" Benton asked, looking for the girl.

"Still sleeping," Race answered. "Her flight got in late last night."

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Benton reflected on the change in his body guard's life. A few months ago Race had learned he had a daughter. After many phone calls and some legal arrangements, which the Quest lawyers had helped with, his friend had acquired shared custody. Jade had been fine with the arrangement saying that Jessie should have a chance to get to know her father. Knowing the fiery red head, he wondered if she had an ulterior motive.

"Morning," a sleepy voice murmured.

He turned as did Race to watch a red headed girl wearing a pink robe with matching fuzzy slippers enter. She took a spot at the table and yawned, looking like she could barely keep her eyes open.

"Hey, Jessie," Jonny greeted as he plunked down and grinned at her. He looked more and more like his mother every day with his blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. Benton felt a lump in his throat and he pushed the sensation away.

"Smells good," Jessie said, pulling out a scrunchy and pulling her long red hair back into a ponytail.

"My specialty," her father bragged, returning his attention to his cooking. He wore a black apron over his normal jeans and red top.

"Are we having plain or blueberry pancakes?" Hadji asked as he sat down. He rarely appeared without his turban. This morning was an exception. He wore his dark hair short and his deep brown eyes danced.

"Blueberry," Race answered. "Wild ones from Maine."

Both boys grinned.

"Milk or hot chocolate?" Benton moved to the fridge.

"Milk," all three teens answered.

"I'll get it Dr. Quest." Hadji rose to gather the glasses.

"Thank you." He poured himself a second cup, allowing the rich flavor to help revive him.

Race glanced back at the teens, busy pouring milk and talking. He aimed his next question at Benton. "You call her?"

"Call who?" Benton played dumb.

"Come on, Doc, I know you better than that." He scooped up the eggs placing them in the oven and did the same with the bacon. Reducing the heat slightly Race waited to start the pancakes. "I didn't miss the way you looked at Marari Pryor."

"She helped us out. That's all there is."

"Uh, huh." Race didn't sound like he believed that. "Why'd you ask her out?"

"To say thank you for helping find the boys." They'd wandered off during the conference a couple of times. Phoenix had been helping with security and helped locate them.

The griddle popped as the batter got poured. "I don't believe that and neither do you."

"I'm still in mourning." Benton knew it to be a partial truth.

"I did a little checking on her," Race flipped the cakes over. "Lot of what she does is classified, beyond my clearance level and yours."

He chuckled. "I realize you're doing your job, but that could have caused some problems."

"Oh, I got stopped by one irate general and the head of the Foundation. They basically told me they'd toss me in jail if I didn't quit digging." His bodyguard frowned. "Whatever she is involved with they don't want anyone knowing about."

"I remember she said she worked with Colonel Sheppard."

"Nothing on him either or most of the folks we had dinner with."

"Interesting."

"That's one way to put it."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Julian slid a contract across the wooden table when he returned from his office. Marari looked up at from her laptop. "What's this?"

"This gives you partial ownership in my vineyard and winery." He put a pen next to the papers. "Just signed where the X's are and both my attorneys and yours can argue the rest later."

"Why would you do this?" She glanced through the contract, noting how much she'd been given. The share surprised her. "Are you sure? It's a pretty big share." Thirty percent? Seemed to be overly generous.

"You helped launch three new wines with your suggestions." He gave her his most charming smile. On anyone else it might have worked. "Of course I am."

She shook her head. "I'll have the family lawyers look it over first." She grinned. "You didn't think I'd just sign it, did you?"

"I was rather hoping." He sat down and removed his tie, unbuttoning his shirt leaving part of his chest exposed.

"That's not fair, Julian," Lillie teased, as she joined them. Tonight she wore a black dress with jewels glittering around her throat and dangling from her ears. The woman's painted nails lightly caressed his chest. "You know how upset Barnabas would be."

He held up his hands in surrender. "Her lawyers can look it over first."

"Not what I meant," Lillie's sultry voice murmured.

"I'm immune to that," Marari returned, pointing at Julian.

"What about a certain handsome scientist? I hear he might have called today."

"There are no secrets in this house are there?" Marari sat back not certain whether to be amused or angry.

"Rarely," Lillie agreed. "Coming to the club later, Julian?"

"If I can."

"Hope to see you." She gave them both a smile as she left the dining room.

"Cash will make certain she arrives safely." Julian went the side bar and poured a glass of wine. "Want some?"

She shook her head. "No thanks. Have to get up early to return to LA."

"To the apartment you hate." Julian took his chair again and sipped the dark red liquid.

"I'm working with Mattie to allow me to operate as a remote consultant rather than being based at the Foundation."

"Think she'll agree?"

"I hope so. I miss Collinsport."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Colonel John Sheppard stood at the top of the metal stairway overlooking the control room. Senior scientists Rodney McKay and Radek Zelenka worked on main control panel, consulting their lap tops and entering data. Each of them talked constantly and he knew from experience most of what they said he wouldn't understand anyway. No reason he should disturb them.

His eyes traveled to the stargate partially buried in the marble floor. Since returning to Earth it hadn't been used much. McKay, with Dr. Jackson's help, had finally figured out which symbols represented their new location. With a grin the colonel wondered what the ancients would have thought of hiding the city in a small and abandoned cove near the town of Collinsport, Maine.

"Must be happy thoughts."

John glanced at the archeologist who had addressed him. Dr. Daniel Jackson climbed the stairs to stand next to him. More than once the soldier had been glad the man had joined them. He'd helped solve a number of different mysteries they'd stumbled across. Most recently, an unknown language buried in the city's data base he still was working at translating.

"How's the translations going?" John asked, turning to enter his office.

"Slow. I haven't found the key yet." He sat down in the chair across from the wooden desk. A desk that had been occupied by several different people and now belonged to Sheppard.

"I understand you're the best linguist we have." John sat down, leaning back slightly. He wore fatigues and had allowed everyone to wear whatever they liked instead of the standard uniform. Atlantis was about research, not a military operation or a base to protect the planet. General Landry at the SGC in Cheyenne Mountain had taken over the role.

Dr. Jackson sighed, shifting in his chair. "I wish we could get Dr. Benton Quest cleared. The man is a genius in several fields."

"I've tried several times." He couldn't figure out what kind of prejudice General O'Neill had against the man.

"Jack still not agreeing?"

"Pretty much." He leaned forward, ignoring the various reports waiting on his approval. "Have you asked Marari?"

"She's working at the Foundation for the next couple of weeks."

Marari Collins Pryor had proven to be one of their best consultants. She seemed to have a knack for figuring things out. Biggest problem, her boss often snagged her away for other assignments. He'd heard the woman joke about having worked for almost every agency in the alpha bit soup in DC.

"She being allowed calls?" John knew they often spoke either via phone or Skype.

"Time seems to be a factor." Dr. Jackson ran a hand behind his head before rising to pace. He'd adopted wearing jeans and often a plain T-shirt. "Can't keep her on the phone long enough to work anything out."

"Guess I could ask the general to speak to Mattie." Given the woman's reputation, he'd bet any argument between them would be a draw.

"Or we can just wait until she comes back. I suppose the information has waited this long, it can wait a few more weeks."

"That'll look great in my reports. Progress paused because one of our consultants got pulled by her agency."

Both men laughed.

Daniel shook his head. "I've been here long enough I should be able to figure it out. I'll go back to work."

"Sure." He watched the archeologist leave. Maybe they had become too dependent on Marari. Time they all did what they did best. Figure out the secrets of the city on their own as they had in the Pegasus galaxy.

Still, he figured it couldn't hurt to give O'Neill a call and see if he could pull some strings to get Ms. Pryor returned or Dr. Quest approved. Somehow, though, neither seemed too likely.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jack Dalton stuck his head in the door, followed by Mac. Marari tried to ignore them.

"Told you she was busy," Mac said.

"Now, just hold on a minute. We don't know that for sure." Jack took a step inside her temporary office.

"Take another step and I'll toss you out like you taught me to." She saved the information of her umpteenth report, trying her best not to look at the two or she'd start laughing.

"She's gotta eat sometime." Jack crossed his arms over his chest and the bright shirt he wore. "Besides I still want to hear about her date with Dr. Quest."

"Wasn't a date." Marari wished she had something to throw at him.

"There, you see," Mac defended. "It wasn't a date."

"Of course it was," his friend bantered back.

"Will you get out here so I can get some work done?" She glared at Jack. "I'd like to get back home before Halloween." Mid-September and the weather still seemed too warm.

Mac interrupted. "Mattie agree to let you work from home yet?" He leaned against the door jamb, looking completely comfortable in jeans, a nice long sleeved shirt and sneakers.

"Finally. Besides, she and General O'Neill had words. Rather loudly from what her admin shared."

"Isn't he the pushy general you work for sometimes?" Jack grinned. She couldn't believe anyone wore their hair as short as he did.

"I've been with the project he's in charge of almost since the beginning." Neither men were cleared to know about the SGC nor Mattie either. From a few exchanges they'd had about it, Mattie proved to be very unhappy about it.

Luckily, they didn't ask her about the project. She supposed at this point they knew better. "Are done for today, Jack?"

"Nope." He strolled over to her desk.

Mac shook his head, his blonde hair framing his good looking face. "We figured you might be hungry and wanted to know if you'd like to go out and eat with us."

Jack put on his best smile. She rolled her eyes. "I have too much work to do."

"You gotta eat," Jack pushed.

"Mac, why don't you bring me back something. Maybe a salad with chicken."

"We can do that," Mac agreed. "Come on, Jack."

"How am I ever going to hear about her date?" he whined as the pair left.

"It wasn't a date, Jack," she murmured, returning her attention to the report Mattie wanted delivered in about thirty minutes. She attached the document and hit send, before getting out of her chair and staring out the floor length window.

Her office overlooked the courtyard and she smiled as she watched Jack and Mac walk across the huge red stones. They talked to each other using their hands to make their points. They disappeared around the corner and Marari stretched.

Bad part was Jack may have been right whatever pretext Dr. Quest had used. Since then, he'd called her a few days later, then every two or three. For the past couple of weeks it had been every night. They didn't talk for long, maybe ten minutes. Just long enough to catch the other one up on what they'd done during the day.

"Hey," Riley knocked lightly before entering. The young woman had better manners than the man who had been like a father to her, namely one Jack Dalton. "Everything okay?"

"Fine." Marari returned to her desk.

"Want to pick up where we left off?" Riley asked.

"Not today. You can teach me more about hacking tomorrow."

"You're a good student."

"I think it more likely you're a good teacher."

"Or both." Riley smiled, lighting up her pretty face, her dark hair complimenting her complexion. She wore a nice pant suit and Marari didn't doubt many of the men in the office probably wished they could ask her out. Fear of Jack Dalton's wrath probably kept them at bay.

"Thank you for teaching me. It'll help me quite a bit."

"All you have to do is ask." Riley's phone beeped. "That's Mattie. She has a project for me." She waved. "See you later."

"Later," Marari returned, before starting on her next project and yet another short deadline.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It had been a long day. Benton rubbed his eyes tiredly and glanced at the time. The boys and Jessie had gone to bed about an hour ago. Race normally retreated to his suite, tonight not being an exception to watch TV or read or work out or whatever he did. Despite living under the same roof, he liked to give his friend some privacy.

Ten PM. Meant it was seven in California. He signed in to his Skype account and waited for Marari to answer. She answered quickly, the background unfamiliar to him. Given the window view, he suspected she might still be at work. "Hi," he greeted.

"Hi," she returned. "I need to keep working while we talk. Is that okay?"

"Your boss keeping you that busy?" Part of him didn't like that despite understanding Marari needed to her job.

"Last minute project she asked me to do for her." Marari smiled tiredly. "Tradeoff is that I get to come in late tomorrow."

He could hear her keyboard clicking. "How much longer are you staying in LA?"

"Few more weeks. I should be back in Collinsport by Halloween."

"Isn't that your family's least favorite holiday?" He'd heard some rumors and wondered if they were true.

"Good question. I know Cousin David doesn't celebrate it and Barnabas is in DC. Carolyn and her family are traveling in Europe and probably won't be home until next summer." His face must have reflected his confusion because she continued, "Despite being a Collins, I wasn't raised at Collinwood. I've heard a lot of the stories though."

"You believe them?"

"It's an old house and a family who doesn't mix much with the locals who happen to be very superstitious."

"When you're home, where do you live?" His curiosity got the better of him and he wondered if she'd tell him.

"I live in a cottage on edge of the estate near the village."

"Oh." He had no idea what to say next.

"How do you like your new home?"

Her question caught him slightly off guard. "Still working on some renovations and hoping to get the lighthouse up and running."

"Isn't that a requirement when you buy government owned land when it has a lighthouse?"

"I'm surprised you know that." Not many people did.

She giggled. "I know a great many things."

He smiled. "Should I be worried?"

Before she could answer he heard another voice. "That your nightly call to Dr. Quest?"

"As a matter fact, Mattie, yes. Guess it shouldn't surprise me you know about them."

"Nothing goes on in this office I don't know about." A brief pause, before the other woman said, "How close are you to finishing?"

"I should have it to you in another thirty to forty-five minutes."

"Thank you for doing this. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Mattie."

He sighed. "I suppose I should let you get back to work."

"Probably. I'd like to get back to my apartment."

"The one you hate."

Marari shook her head and her golden brown eyes amused. "Yeah, that one. I miss my house."

Benton took a deep breath before asking, "Do the Collins celebrate major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas?"

"They haven't since I've joined the family. Can't speak for David's plans. Barnabas is staying at Lunesta Towers for the holidays. From what Lillie told me, Julian is throwing some sort of huge party."

"Would you consider spending them with me and my family?" He held his breath, afraid she'd said no and just as terrified she'd say yes.

The silence between stretched longer than normal. "I'll consider it, as long as I can bring my cat."

"My son's dog Bandit hates cats."

"Well, he'll just have learn to like mine."

Author's note: I had not actually intended to continue this story. However, since both Dr. Benton Quest and Marari Collins Pryor have been added to Always Comes Back to Haunt Us, I figured I'd write their story so I don't contradict myself.


	3. Chapter 3

Say Goodbye to Yesterday

Dragonlots aka Dana Bell

Chapter 3

Senator Barnabas Collins had taken a dislike to Bruce Wayne from the first moment they'd met. He considered the man dishonorable, a blight on a prestigious family whose reputation had been tarnished by his playboy antics. His picture appeared in papers and online in the company of beautiful sexy models, actresses, and prominent daughters at nightclubs, play openings and wild parties.

Given what he thought of the Gotham City millionaire, it had stunned Marari when he'd agreed to attend Bruce's Halloween party. Maybe deciding to run for president had convinced him he needed to 'make nice' with the rich and powerful, whatever their reputations.

She glanced out the limo window as they drove down the long driveway toward Wayne Manor, the huge gothic house looming closer. Orange and purple lights glittered around the windows, with witches, skeletons and bright pumpkins adding to the atmosphere.

"You're sure about this?" she asked again, wanting to make certain her cousin understood what he'd agreed to.

Barnabas sighed. He opted to dress like his seventeen hundreds ancestor, and she wondered if anyone outside the family would see the uncanny resemblance. "If I want to run for president, I will need contributors."

"If you're really sure." She chosen to wear a dress she'd found in the attic at the Old House. The blue fabric shimmered and the fabric soft against her skin. Her hair fell around her face and she'd found some great antique pearls with matching earrings. They complimented her outfit perfectly.

"Not really." A light smile tugged at his thin lips. "It's too late now, as we have arrived."

"Show time," she muttered under her breath as the car came to a stop. The driver opened the door and Barnabas exited first, coming around to take her hand and help her out. Flashes temporarily blinded her as they headed for the main door. No doubt their host wanted plenty of publicity.

Inside, her eyes followed the varied and colorful costumes. A few Batmans represented the city's most well-known hero, a couple of Jokers, a penguin and a cat woman, plus various other costumes ranging from the distant past to the future like the two Jedi Knights who had just passed them.

"Festive," Barnabas commented.

"You really need to get out more." Marari pointed across the huge room. Bruce Wayne, dressed like a scarecrow, held court with Selina Kyle in a slinky black dress with cat ears in her dark hair, standing next to him. "We should probably say hello to our host."

His expression told her he wanted to anything other than that. He straightened, offering his arm. "Shall we?"

Lightly she took his arm, following him across the crowded and somewhat noisy room. Combined exotic smells accosted her nose, much too sweet perfumes, spicy food, and musty body odor.

Their host noticed them, offering them a warm smile. "Thank you for coming, Senator Collins, Ms. Pryor."

"Mr. Wayne," Barnabas returned curtly, his expression wary.

"Always good to see you, Bruce." Marari offered her hand, which Bruce lightly kissed. His gesture earned him a frown from Selina.

"I made certain to tell the waiters you're only to be served sparkling water with a lemon slice," he told her.

"Thank you. That was very thoughtful." She had an allergy to alcohol.

"I take care of my investors."

"I believe in what you're doing."

He glanced at Barnabas who seemed confused. A couple came up behind them and she decided it would be best to move on.

Bruce seemed to understand. "Enjoy my party. I believe Julian Luna is here as well."

"I look forward to talking with him," Barnabas answered.

"I know you two are good friends."

"For a long time now. Good evening, Mr. Wayne."

They moved away. She leaned against him and whispered, "You want him as contributor you really need to be a bit more friendly."

"I don't like him and you know why."

Of course she did. "You don't know him, only the image he portrays. You do something similar, if you want the truth." Most of the gossip columns showed the cousins as an item. Something neither of them had bothered to correct. It kept ambitious gold diggers away from the senator.

"You're right," he conceded. "You're doing business with him?"

"My company has made enough that I decided to make a small investment in the aerodynamics division of Wayne Industries. Not that it's any of your business."

"You're right. There's Julian and Lillie by the fireplace. We should go say hello."

"Marari!" a loud and familiar voice called.

"You go talk to them. I need to head Tony off before he makes a scene."

"I thought that was Pepper's job?" His chestnut brown eyes reflected his amusement.

"Pepper is over there." She pointed to where a light haired woman, gorgeous in a long beige dress with a slit up the side and various objects draped around her waist, stood talking to a small group. "Go." She pushed him toward his friends, before meeting Tony. "Nice to see you."

"And you look lovely as ever." He dropped an arm around her and guided her to a side room. "Imagine my surprise when I discovered you've made an investment in my clean energy program."

"Of course, I did. Why does that surprise you?"

"You seemed rather annoyed with me at the conference." He'd dressed as Ironman, minus the mask. His choice didn't surprise her.

She smiled, trying not to laugh. "You disrupted the schedule and made more work for me."

"Sorry."

"No, you're not."

"You're right, I'm not." He grinned. "My talk was a huge success."

"One of the high points I suspect."

"I heard about your movie night. Everyone raved about it."

"We're all kids at heart."

"Speaking of kids, what was Dr. Quest's boys doing there?"

"You'd have to ask him."

"I just might. You know he's here."

"Uh, no, actually I didn't." Benton hadn't said anything about it when they'd spoken the previous evening.

"I hear it was a last minute invite." He leaned closer, talking quietly. "From what I'm hearing Quest Enterprises is in trouble. There are several here tonight who have an interest in acquiring it."

"You as well." She knew Tony had bought several smaller struggling companies.

"If he'd stop traveling around the world trying to save it and concentrate on his business-"

"Not unlike someone else I know." Like the entire world, she knew about his superhero antics and the Avengers.

"That's beside the point."

"No, Tony, that is the point."

"Okay," he agreed far too easily. "You've got a good CEO."

"Thanks to Pepper's mentoring and is that a suggestion?"

He shrugged. "Just an idea."

"You're crazy."

"Certifiable." He kissed her cheek. "I'm throwing a New Year's Eve bash. Please say you'll come."

"I'll think about it and let you know."

"I can accept that." Tony turned to leave. "Oh, and save me a dance for later."

"Pepper okay with that?"

"She knows you'd toss me across the room if I got fresh."

His admission amused her. "Your right."

"One suggestion." His tone became serious. "Go find Dr. Quest and let him know his company is in danger."

"Why don't you tell him?"

"He doesn't like me and neither does your cousin."

"Let you in on a partial secret. If Barnabas asks you for a contribution, give it to him."

"So the rumors are true."

"I will neither deny nor confirm."

"You just did."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 _How did I get talked into coming?_ Benton wondered as he escaped through one of the patio doors and took a deep breath of clean night air. Behind him the voices droned on and before him lay the gardens. Orange, white and purple lights adorned the bushes and barren trees. Various statues graced the area and Jack O'Lanterns sat outside every door.

On impulse he left the doorway and ventured out into the maze like bushes. The temperature felt much cooler than in the house and he found a stone bench where he could sit down to think. The only costume he could come up with was to come as a college professor, complete with a pipe in his tweed jacket's pocket.

Benton had no idea why Bruce Wayne had invited him to his Halloween party. Granted, he did some business with the man. Wayne Industries built the best experimental engines. He would know since he'd used many of them in various incarnations of his private jet.

His phone rang, pulling his mind away from his thoughts. Pulling it out, he checked the number and smiled. "Hi Marari."

"Hi yourself. Mutual friend told me you are at Bruce's party."

"Guilty. Race encouraged me to come."

"Smart man. Where are you?"

"At the moment in the garden."

"Really?" He could hear quite a bit of noise in the background. Benton looked up and saw a woman in a very old fashioned dress step outside. "Funny that Bruce invited me as well."

"You must be the woman who just came outside."

"I am. Definitely quieter. Oh, there you are."

His call disconnected and he watched Marari carefully walk across the grass and follow the trail to where he sat. He rose and took her hand. "It's good to see you."

"You too." She sat beside him. "I have no idea how women managed to get around. Thank god those days are long past."

"Why do I suspect you came with your cousin?"

"Because I did. If Barnabas is smart he's working the room for potential contributors."

"So he is going to run." The senator had hinted he would during the conference.

"More than likely." She folded her hands on her lap. "Problem is there won't be a First Lady and I refuse to play the role."

Benton had no idea on how to respond to her. Maybe a change of subject would help. "I guess we get to talk in person rather than on the phone."

She gave him an odd glance. "I hadn't thought of that. Guess we really haven't seen each other since the conference."

"By phone or Skype is an odd way to court someone."

"Oh, we are we courting?" She smiled at him, lightly placing her hand on his arm.

He put his hand on hers, noticing she no longer wore her wedding ring. His still rested on his left hand. "I'm a bit old fashioned."

"I don't mind that."

"I'm not, please don't take this the wrong way, I'm not really in a hurry. I know my invitation to spend the holiday with me and my family might have seemed that way."

"It's a good way for us to get to know each other." She leaned over and lightly kissed his cheek. "Besides, I'd probably be spending the holidays either alone or at Mac's."

"You're talking about MacGyver."

"He sat at your table."

"What does he do exactly?"

"He's good at getting his team out of trouble. Beyond that I'm not allowed to say."

"I unfortunately understand that." Many of his exploits were classified.

A waltz started playing the music drifting out into the lawns adding a magical quality. "Would you like to dance?" Benton rose, extending his hand.

"Love to." She took it and rose.

Placing his arm around her waist, he asked, "You do know how to waltz."

"Of course."

He stepped into the beat, enjoying the feel of a woman in his arms and how easily they moved together. For the length of the song they were the only two people in the world and for the first time since Rachelle's death, he felt alive.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Light snow began to fall as Marari turned off the coastal highway onto the tree lined road leading to the Quest Compound. Over the previous three weeks since the party at Wayne Manor, she and Benton had discussed how long she'd stay. They'd agreed she'd arrive a few days before Thanksgiving and leave just before New Year's Day.

Mattie hadn't been happy about allowing her to take the time off and neither had General O'Neill. Colonel Sheppard hadn't been surprised and very supportive.

"You deserve time off," he'd said when they'd talked in his Atlantis office. "Daniel thinks he has a handle on the language we discovered."

"That's the one he thinks is a possible dialect of ancient Egyptian."

"Yeah, that one." John had sat back with a grin on his lean face. "I'm planning on pretty much shutting down for the next few weeks and allowing anyone who wants to go visit family do so. Rodney already has plane tickets to go see his sister."

"Hope he enjoys the visit."

"For many of us being off world and not knowing if we would ever get back to Earth, taught us the value of keeping family close." He'd chuckled. "Rodney even adopted a new cat."

"Good for him."

Speaking of cats, she glanced in the back seat where hers yowled once again about the indignity of being trapped in the carrier and forced to ride in the car monster.

"Not much further," she promised, taking a corner and getting her first look at the huge house. "Oh this is much worse than Collinwood."

The house spread out in a couple of wings. Looked like there had to be at least two stories and off to the side she could see the lighthouse where Benton's lab was located along with Quest World, some sort of VR program still in its early stages of development.

Pulling the car up in front of the main door, Marari took a deep breath, asking herself why she'd even agreed to a five to six week stay. She liked the man. She knew that. Just not exactly sure how much and not even sure if she wanted to know.

 _Quite stalling._ She pushed the door open, grabbing her purse and the cat carrier. Snow began to gently fall and she hurried to the door, pushed the button and held her breath.

The wooden door opened to reveal Race Bannon, his shock of white hair making him a hard person to misidentify. "Hello, Ms. Pryor."

"Hi, Race," she greeted. "I believe I'm expected."

"Come on it. If you'll give me your car keys, I'll park it in the garage and bring in your luggage."

"I'll need the cat supplies first."

His eyebrows rose. "You know Bandit doesn't like cats."

"So Benton told me." They'd discussed the fact at great length, but she'd refused to leave her fur baby at home with the cat sitter only showing up once a day.

"Hi," a red haired girl darted past Race. "We have your room ready. I can show you."

"This is my daughter Jessie," Race explained.

"Nice to meet you, Jessie. I'm Marari Pryor."

"Better go get her car inside, Dad, before the snow buries it."

"Guess I'd better."Marari handed him her car keys. "I'll bring your luggage up in a few minutes." He grabbed his coat and closed the door behind him.

Jessie led her up down the hall and up carpeted stairs to the second floor. "My dad has own apartments on the east side of the house. Our housekeeper, is spending time with her family during the holidays, has her own rooms next to the kitchen."

Jessie opened a door and stood back. "This is your room. Hope you like it."

"Thank you, Jessie."

The girl smiled nervously before dashing off. Luckily, Benton had warned her about the girl ahead of time so her presence hadn't come as a surprise.

Her cat, Primrose, yowled again, clawing at the wire opening. "Okay, I'll let you out." Once released the feline slowly exited the carrier reluctance in every step. The window with a seat caught Prim's attention and she settled in there, washing herself with glares in Marari's direction.

"Your life is so miserable." She shook her head and found a spot in the empty walk in closet to leave the carrier.

The room itself seemed a good size. It contained a queen sized bed with a bright blue and green spread along with two night stands. She had a small sitting area complete with a desk and a computer hook up plus her own bathroom.

A light knock interrupted her explorations and she opened it up to discover Race and both Jonny and Hadji standing there, each carrying cat supplies and her luggage. She motioned them inside. "Just put everything over there." She shut the door behind them making certain Primrose didn't escape.

Jonny noticed the cat, who just blinked at him before returning to the important business of washing. "Bandit doesn't like cats."

"Well, I wasn't about to leave Primrose at home."

Hadji tilted his head to one side. He dressed like he lived in India, complete with a turban adorned with a red ruby. "You named her after a character in a book?"

"I did." The light tan cat had reminded her of the younger sister of the main character in a popular young adult series.

"Come on, boys." Race opened the door. "We should let unpack and get settled"

"Dinner is at seven," Jonny told her as the two boys and the bodyguard left.

"Nice to know," she said. "Well, Prim, let's get your box and food set up so you're comfortable and then I'll unpack." Benton hadn't said much about what they might be doing so she'd packed everything from casual to formal.

She hoped he'd agree to accompany her to Tony's New Year's Eve bash.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Hey, Dad," Jonny bounced into his father's office. "Ms. Pryor has arrived."

Benton smiled at his son. Jonny seemed to be slowly adjusting to his mother's death. He still had times when he'd go to his room and refuse to come out. Mourning, as their therapist had explained, takes time and each person reacted to loss differently.

"She sure brought a lot of stuff." Jonny settled in a chair, Bandit at his feet. The boy reached down to pet his dog. "She brought a cat."

"I know about the cat," Benton reassured Jonny. "Marari is staying with us for several weeks."

"Why do women need so much stuff?"

"Because they're women." He had no desire to get into this conversation with his son right now. Jonny wouldn't turn thirteen for a few more months and Benton wasn't even sure he was ready for 'the' talk even then.

"Do you think she's pretty?" Evidently Jonny intended to ask several questions.

"Truthfully," he closed the book he'd been studying, and put it on his oak desk. "Marari has a type of beauty that reflects from the inside out."

Jonny frowned. "I don't understand."

He chuckled. "You will when you're older."

"You always say that."

"Because it's true."

"Then I can't wait until older so I do."

"Don't be in big of a hurry to grow up, Jonny." He sighed. "Being grown up doesn't really mean what children think it does."

Jonny shook his head. "It's confusing when you say stuff like that." He jumped out of the chair and raced over the window. "Look at the snow."

"I've been watching." Luckily, they'd bought extra groceries and had a full pantry. They might be snowed in for a few days.

The little boy in Jonny showed on his face, bright with excitement. "We can have a snow ball fight and build forts."

He wished he still had the innocence of childhood and could enjoy the simple things in life. As it was, his lawyers had informed him his floundering company, Quest Enterprises had received several buyout offers. Benton had no intention of selling nor any solutions in mind either.

"You've got that look on your face," Jonny said. "What's wrong, Dad?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." He got up. "How about we go into the kitchen and start dinner?"

His son made a face which turned to surprise. "Hi, Ms. Pryor."

"Please call me Marari, Jonny."

Benton smiled. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Door was open. Hope I'm not intruding."

"Not at all. Are you settled in?"

"Partially, as long as Prim has what she needs and my clothes are hung up, I'll call it good for now."

"What would you like for dinner?" Other than the Thanksgiving Day menu, he had no idea what to make.

"I tend to not really plan meals."

"You're spontaneous." That made him a bit nervous. He liked order in his life.

"Nothing wrong with that. I was thinking maybe Jonny, Hadji and Jessie would like to help cook."

"Other than camping, I really don't know how," Jonny admitted.

"You don't?" Marari smiled. "Well, that just won't do. I think everyone should know how."

"We normally have a housekeeper who cooks for us," Benton explained.

"Or Race does," Jonny added.

"Hmmm. A man who can cook. I'm impressed." He felt a flash of jealousy at her words, then reminded himself she'd completely ignored Race's attempt to flirt with her during the conference. "What do you say, Jonny? We make dinner?"

"I don't know."

"Afraid of a challenge?"

He straightened and met her eyes. Benton was proud of his son.

"I'm always fond of breakfast for dinner," she continued.

"Yeah!" His son dashed out the door calling for Hadji and Jessie.

"I not overstepping am I?" Marari asked him.

"No." Benton shook his head. "I think we've all forgotten what it's like to have a woman in the house."

"Housekeeper doesn't count?"

He started to say something and thought better of it.

"Not to worry. Cousin David does that too."

"Guess I'm used to having money." He tried to make it sound like an apology.

"Happens." She took his hand. "I hate to mix personal and company business, but Tony told me Quest Enterprises is in trouble."

He sighed and motioned her to sit down, before he reclaimed his chair. "I got the notice from my lawyers a few days ago."

"I talked to Candice, she's my CEO. She had our accountant go over your books and sees a ray of hope. She suggested," Marari giggled, "just like Tony indirectly did, that Quest Enterprises and LilMorCol Industries merge, at least on paper."

"Doesn't that set your company up for takeover?"

"No, puts both of us in a more protected position because neither Tony Stark nor Bruce Wayne will make a play because of the investment I've made in both their companies. That and I think they're both just a little afraid of Julian Luna and my cousin Barnabas."

"Interesting proposal." It might solve a hostile takeover and save Quest Enterprises.

"Candice is pretty sure she can turn things around. I hired her because she can think outside the box. I just sit on the board and let her make the hard decisions." She reached over and placed her hand over his. "Think it over. If you like the idea let me know and I'll have the family attorneys prepare the paperwork and present it to yours."

"Why would Tony Stark give you a heads up?" That part bothered him.

"Competition between him and Bruce Wayne. That's why I made friends with both of them."

"With Bruce Wayne?" He couldn't see how that was possible.

"Bruce isn't what he seems. Barnabas and I stayed at his home for a few days last year. While we were there a really bad thunder storm went over in the middle of night. Scared me half to death. I helped myself to some tea and Bruce found me in the kitchen. I admitted why I was there and he took me into the drawing room, started a fire and we spent half the night playing checkers."

"He didn't make a pass at you?" Given the playboy's reputation, he would have expected Bruce to have made another suggestion.

"I'm not really his type and Barnabas is very protective."

"Guess I'd better watch my manners around you."

"You better believe it. He wasn't very happy I planned to stay with you for the holidays. He's got some very old fashioned ideas."

"As do I."

"I know. That's why I trust you."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Where do we start?" Jonny asked when Marari joined the children in the kitchen.

She glanced around the large room, thinking she really preferred her cozy kitchen at home. "First of all, let's decide what we're having for dinner." She motioned the trio over to the island. The counter top had been covered with a gray marble. The cupboards were all white with silver handles.

"You suggested breakfast," Jonny reminded her.

"So I did. Let's check the cupboards, freezer and pantry for ingredients before deciding on what we want to make."

The three scattered to check the various places she suggested. In the end, they found several different things and they decided they wanted to make omelets for dinner.

"Perfect choice," she agreed. "Okay, who wants to ask Race and Dr. Quest what they want in theirs."

"Why not just ask us directly?" Benton entered the room. "How we can help?"

"You should never ask that. I will always put you to work."

"Should I be afraid?"

"Oh, very much so." She turned to her chefs in training. "All right, Jonny, you're on egg duty. Jessie and Hadji you get to slice veggies. Benton, grate the cheese and if you're going to stand there watching Race," she'd seen him observing the process from the door. "You can warm up the pan."

"Yes, ma'am." He moved to the stove and went to work.

She knew she should object to the ma'am, but chose not to. If she wanted to fit into this complicated household she would have to adjust to the various personalities in it. Just like she had working as part of the team in Atlantis and the SGC.

Laughter echoed in the room and a few messes got made. She immediately had whomever made it, clean it up. "That's part of cooking. Cleaning up after yourself."

"I don't know if I like cooking," Jonny grumped.

"It's a good way to learn a new skill. One that will serve you well for the rest of your life," she told the boy.

"She's right," his father agreed. "We learn by doing and making mistakes."

"One of the great lessons of life," Race added from his post at the stove.

"You never make mistakes, Race." Jonny stared adorningly at the older man.

"Yes, I do." A shadow passed over Race's tanned face. "With a very high price."

"You aren't to blame, Race." Benton probably meant to reassure the other man.

"Let's drop it for now, Doc." Race expertly removed the omelet from the pan. "First one is up."

"That one is mine," Jessie took the omelet and sat at the island.

Minutes later everyone was eating and Marari smiled to herself. A successful first meal with the Quest family. Maybe things would go smoother than she thought. Or maybe not. They did have a tendency to find trouble or perhaps it found them. One could never tell

For this night, she'd relax and enjoy being part of a family. She hadn't had that for a long time.


	4. Chapter 4

Say Goodbye to Yesterday

Dragonlots aka Dana Bell

Chapter 4

Snow fell heavily on the day before Thanksgiving. Benton watched from his office window as the lighthouse vanished in a blue of white. The structure would be off limits to everyone for the duration of the storm. Meant no lab work for him and no assistance from Hadji on Questworld development. Jonny and Jessie couldn't wait for it to be finished and to test it.

He returned to his desk and the email sent from Dr. Daniel Jackson. Some new language had been discovered and parts seemed familiar while others didn't. The linguist had declined to say where it had been found and again he wondered what type of top secret work the man did.

"Looks familiar doesn't it?"

Benton turned to see Marari staring over his shoulder. "You shouldn't read other people's email," he admonished her.

"Daniel sent that to me too." She shook her head. "He wanted me to see if I found any patterns or sequences that seemed to repeat.

"You have any language training?" He found it odd Dr. Jackson would send the same message to Marari.

"No really. I analyze things and can see around the corners I guess you'd say." She stepped forward, a frown on her face. "Does look familiar though."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"Sort of like ancient Egyptian but with a twist. See," her finger followed the line without touching the screen. "Something about the Ring of the Lords and arriving somewhere before whatever happened?"

Marari seemed to understand more than he did. Benton wasn't sure he felt comfortable with her quick if incomplete translation. Normally, that is why other scientists and specialists contacted him for assistance.

"Lunch is ready," she said. "The kids helped so be nice."

"That bad?"

"Simple actually. We played with a variation of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches."

"Are you going to teach them to cook every day?" He sat back in his chair.

"As long as they want to learn. Granted it may be a few years, but each of them will need to learn that skill if they intend to leave the nest and be on their own."

Shifting in his chair, Benton didn't want to think about the children leaving with only him and Race left in the house. He wondered if they'd be able to survive the quiet or if they'd opt to travel to see what trouble they could get into.

"You hadn't thought about it." She crossed her arms over her chest. He had to admit she looked comfortable in orange sweats and a light colored sweater.

"Honestly no."

"I don't think my mother had either. It was really hard for her to let go."

He waited to see if she'd share more, disappointed when she opted to change the subject.

"The kids are waiting to show off their skills. What Daniel wants can wait."

"You're right." He saved his notes and followed her to the kitchen. The combined scents of tomato soup, cheese and bacon? drifted out reminding him breakfast had been hours ago. He entered the room and the kids all grinned him.

"See what we made Dad!" Jonny beamed.

"So I see." He sat down not remembering the last time they'd shared the midday meal together. Probably meant it had been too long. He helped himself and joined in the conversation.

He lifted his eyes to meet Marari's realizing, with a feeling like a sharp jab in his stomach, that she belonged there and he needed to everything he could to make certain she became a member of his family.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Race sat in an easy chair near the window, watching the Jonny, Jessie and Hadji play a board game. They seemed to be having fun and cheers would periodically erupt from whoever was winning at the moment.

He noticed when Marari came in with a tray loaded with some snacks and if his nose was correct, hot chocolate. It smelled really good.

"Thought you would enjoy this." She set the tray down, removing one cup.

"Thanks, Marari!" Jonny's face beamed as he grabbed a mug brimming with whipped cream and marshmallows.

"Thank you." Hadji tended to be a bit more formal.

His daughter took a sip. "This is really good."

"Old family recipe." Marari brought a cup over to him. "You're never too old for hot chocolate."

"I appreciate it." He took a sip and wondered what she had done to make it so good.

"You're welcome." She left, returning a few minutes late with her laptop. Settling on the couch, she opened it up and went to work.

Bandit, lying down under the coffee table, lifted his head and growled. Race wondered why until he noticed the tan body slowly edging into the room, tail high.

"Easy boy," Race soothed. "Marari, I think you cat is out."

"What?" She glanced down as the feline bumped her leg. "Now how did you manage that?" She picked up the cat, who laid down partially on Marari's lap and promptly began to use its tongue to clean its fur.

The bulldog growled again, edging closer.

"You had better leave my cat alone, Bandit," Marari warned. "I'll take Prim back upstairs here momentarily."

"Here Bandit," Jonny called, luring the dog with a treat. "Here boy."

Reluctantly Bandit went for the treat while keeping a close eye on the feline intruder. Jonny managed to get his dog to lie down next to him. Didn't stop the growling, but at least no chase had started. Yet.

Race enjoyed his hot drink, becoming very concerned about the storm raging outside. Last report had indicated at least two feet, if not more. Storm of the century they were calling it.

Good thing they didn't plan on going anywhere.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Marari stared at the message Daniel wanted assistance translating. Prim butting her head against her arm didn't help and disrupted her concentration. So did Bandit's constant growling. Jonny did have the bulldog under control, but she knew it would take very little provocation for a fight to break out.

"Any luck," Benton asked, sitting down beside her, his own laptop open.

"Not really. It just looks so familiar it is driving me nuts. Like I've seen it before, but can't remember where."

"Interesting."

"Maybe."

She noticed his glance between Prim and Bandit, his eyes asking a question. "No idea how she got out," Marari explained.

"Bandit hasn't tried to chase Prim?"

"Not yet. Plenty of growling." Her hand gently scratched behind her cat's ear. "She's so comfortable and happy I hate to take her back upstairs. Besides," she lowered her voice, "depending on how things go between us, they may have to learn to live together."

The look on his face was priceless and it was all Marari could do not to laugh.

He cleared his throat. "Maybe we should call Dr. Jackson."

She knew Benton had no idea what was going on at the SGC or Atlantis and she couldn't tell him. General O'Neill continued to deny access and it was beginning to make her angry. Whatever had happened between the two men needed to be sorted out.

"Daniel flew to DC this morning to the spend Thanksgiving with General O'Neill and won't be back until next Monday." That much she could share.

"O'Neill actually has friends?" Benton sounded surprised.

"Yes, he does." Daniel and Jack went back years. Marari knew the entire story about the mission to Abydos and Daniels deciding to stay. Then the Gou'ald had opened the gate and started a whole off world war where until they had finally been defeated. Then the Ori came and in between all that Atlantis had been found. The threat of the Wraith followed and the city being returned to Earth, now hidden in cove near Collinsport. Many of the scientists who had been on the original mission had returned, plus more, like Dr. Jackson had joined them.

"Hmmm. I had no idea." Benton frowned at the screen.

"General O'Neill is unconventional. Makes him an unpredictable leader and hasn't made him many friends in DC."

"Typical politics," Benton muttered.

"Unfortunately." Her cousin hated them too and had many speeches about what the founding fathers had wanted for the country. Most thought he had just studied history. They had no idea he'd actually known the men personally.

"Is your cousin going to run for president?"

"Might. Polls indicate he'd have a good chance of winning even if he runs on a third party ticket."

"That would be unusual."

"Wouldn't it." She saved the program and shut her laptop down. "What do you say we put work aside until next Monday and enjoy a long weekend."

He looked startled.

"When was the last time you did that?" she asked him.

"I have no idea."

"Shut down your computer and relax."

Hesitantly he followed her example, putting his laptop next to him. She smiled slightly as his next move was to drape his arm over her shoulders. Prim reached out with her front paws wanted attention. Marari ran her hand over the cat's head and down her body. "Attention monger."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Thanksgiving morning dawned with subzero temperatures and heavy snow. Benton frowned as he entered the kitchen. Marari was already up and had made coffee for him and Race along with tea for herself. The kids were sitting at the island eating hot oatmeal and drinking hot chocolate. Race poured himself a cup and silently asked if Benton wanted one too. He nodded.

"What time did you get up, Marari?" Benton asked, accepting the mug from Race.

"Early." She sat down, placing her cup on the marble top. "I'm used to sleeping odd hours."

Race glanced knowingly at Benton. His long-time friend knew he tended to stay up for hours, forget to eat and sleep, when a new idea inspired him. How often over the years had he fallen asleep in his office or lab out of pure exhaustion?

"Most of those I work with," Marari continued. "Tend to work some strange schedules."

"Sounds about right," Race agreed, his blue eyes reflecting his amusement. Benton glared at him.

"So what time is dinner today?" she asked.

"Whenever we want to eat," Benton replied, sipping the hot brew.

"Let's plan for mid-afternoon." She got up and took the turkey out. "Luckily I made sure it was unthawed."

Jonny's head popped up. "Need help?"

"Not with this part. Later, yes."

"Okay."

"What are your plans for today, Jonny?" He squeezed his son's shoulder.

"Comics."

They'd come back from Bangor with a huge bag filled with comic books. At least they'd be reading and Benton figured it was better than making them do more homework.

"Sounds like a good idea."

Jonny grinned and started to leave.

"Bowls and cups in the dishwasher before you leave." Marari hadn't even turned around.

The three looked at each other and complied before dashing out, Bandit following close behind.

"Eyes in the back of your head?" Benton teased as he made himself an English muffin. He heard Race chuckled.

"Grew up with siblings. We were on our own a lot."

He hadn't known she'd probably had brothers or sisters. It almost annoyed him and he wished she'd share more.

"Think I'm going to sweep the front porch," Race said, putting his cup the same place the kids had put their dishes.

"Be careful out there, Race," he warned his long-time friend.

"Just want to make sure we can get out both main entrances if we need to."

"Expecting an attack are we?" Marari's tone was bantering.

"With this family, who knows."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

In between cooking, Marari enjoyed being with the Quest family. Jonny, Jessie and Hadji, sprawled on the living room floor, stacks of comics waiting to be read. Race stayed out part of the morning clearing the main entrances and Benton, surprising enough, helped her in the kitchen with the turkey and later preparing the mashed potatoes, salad, a green bean recipe she'd never heard of and with the baking of a couple of pies. Lucky for them she knew how to cook, although, from what she'd gathered, Race normally prepared meals when Mrs. Evan, the housekeeper, wasn't there.

They sat down around two to eat. They held hands as a quick prayer was said. She would have never guessed Benton Quest believed in God. Or maybe it shouldn't. She hoped to discuss that later with him.

"As is our tradition," Benton began, "we always name one thing we are thankful for." He lifted his glass of white wine. "I am thankful for my family."

Race lifted his. "I'm thankful we're all safe during this storm."

Everyone laughed.

Jonny, trying to look serious and very grown up lifted his glass of water. "I'm thankful for this good meal."

Hadji followed. "I am thankful for my family and the opportunities I've had."

"I'm thankful for my dad," Jessie added.

All eyes turned to her. She lifted her glass of water. "I'm thankful for new friends."

They all sipped their various beverages and she made a mental note to bring a bottle of Julian's wine for next year. Next year? She couldn't believe her mind would even think that far ahead.

After dinner they settled back into the living room. The kids returned to their comics and instead of the normal custom of football games, Race and Benton played chess. Left to her own devices, Marari went upstairs and fed her cat, before grabbing her coat and stepping outside for a breath of air.

Standing under the porch she watched the snow fall, feeling the damp chill penetrating through her heavy coat. She shivered, refusing to give in to the desire to return to the warmth of the house. A moment to herself was badly needed.

She heard the door open and close. Benton came to stand beside her, bundled into his heavy winter jacket. They shared a comfortable silence before he spoke. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," she answered. "Just needed some fresh air to clear my head."

He laughed. "My family can be a bit overwhelming."

"A bit?" She turned to face him. He had a hat on which accented his reddish brown beard and mustache. His dark brown eyes looked at her with tenderness and she knew in that instant she'd already lost her heart to the man.

"A bit," he confirmed, moving slightly closer. "You should come inside. It's very cold out here."

"I'm familiar with Maine winters," she snapped and wished she hadn't by the hurt look on his face. "Sorry. I get so tired of men trying to protect me."

"It's what we men do." He stepped away from her and stared out at the storm. Wind whirled under the porch bringing wet snow and frigid cold.

She gasped, moving toward the door. Benton already had his hand on the knob, turning it to let them both back inside. Marari reached out to touch his arm. "I had to learn to take care of myself after my husband died and overreacted. I know you meant well."

"I would do anything to protect you." He pushed the door open.

She hesitated knowing that whatever might have happened, her reaction had caused the moment pass. Stepping inside she took off her coat, hanging it up. Benton did the same before returning to the living room.

Upset with herself for being over defensive, she took the stairs back to her room, changed into her flannel gown and cuddled with her cat. Prim's purr lulled her to sleep, before she woke in the middle of the night. The wind rattled against the house, making it hard to rest.

With a sigh, she rose, pulling on her housecoat and making her way down to the kitchen. Trying to be quiet, she made a cup of tea and sat at the island, sipping the hot beverage. Granted it wasn't lightning and thunder, but the howling wind jarred her nerves.

"Can't sleep?"

She jumped, almost falling on the floor. Laying a hand on her heart, she replied, "You scared me half to death."

"I heard you get up." Benton went to the stove and made himself some tea as well. "I rarely sleep through the night anymore. Not since," he stopped, his hand shaking slightly. "Not since Rachelle died."

Marari knew how it had happened. Dr. Zin had kidnapped his wife and she'd been killed in a massive explosion. "I'm sorry." He nodded his thanks.

"If I may ask," he sat down across from her. "How did you lose your husband? I know you told me it was in the line of duty."

"His mission was classified. That's all I really know other than they couldn't retrieve his body."

"It must have been difficult for you."

"It was." She took a deep breath. "Sometimes I miss him. Sometimes our life together feels like a dream or like it belonged to someone else."

"I understand." He sipped his tea.

She wanted so badly to tell him how she felt, yet sensed the timing was wrong. He might pull away and any chance they had of being together would be lost. She reached across and took his hand. "I know you do."

He squeezed her hand. "I've had to keep on for Jonny's and Hadji's sake. Be strong for them."

"You have to allow yourself time to mourn, Benton. The only way to get to the other side is to go through it. Not try to avoid it, like we tend to do because we hate hurting."

He smiled sadly. "So my shrink told me."

"They're right."

"I know." He hung his head and briefly looked like a lost frightened child. "Will you wait?"

"I'm not going anywhere."


	5. Chapter 5

Say Goodbye to Yesterday

Dragonlots aka Dana Bell

Chapter 5

A week of being cooped up with the kids and Race couldn't wait to get them outside after the storm passed. Jonny, Jessie and Hadji pulled on their coats, hats and gloves, hurrying outside as if afraid their reprieve would be cancelled. Immediately a snow ball fight started and he watched from the porch as they laughed and seemed more like young children than teenagers.

"Looks like they're having fun." Marari joined him. She looked warm in her long coat with a colorful scarf tied around her head.

"They are," he agreed.

"I hear we're due for more snow."

He nodded. "This is lull before the next system goes through."

"Have you ever been snowed in?" She didn't sound concerned, only curious.

"Now and again. We keep the pantry well stocked and have a generator."

"Smart."

"Seen Dr. Quest this morning?" He'd checked the doc's room and knew his bed hadn't been slept in.

"I haven't."

"Guess I should have checked his office." At least he knew where his employer hadn't spent the night.

"From the look of the kitchen, I'd say the kids ate cereal for breakfast."

He felt guilty about the mess they'd left. "I'll have them clean it up after they come in."

"I noticed you have a crockpot. How does stew sound for dinner?"

"Good." He glanced at the door noticing it had opened. Dr. Quest exited, bundled up and pulling on his gloves. "Morning, Doc."

"Morning, Race, Marari."

She smiled at Dr. Quest. "Morning."

A snowball flew past Race and landed on the Doc's coat. All activity stopped in the yard. The Doc glanced at the white stuff, brushed it off, and grinned. "You shouldn't have done that." Kneeling down he made his own and let it go with great accuracy. It nailed Jonny.

"Oh, no you don't." Suddenly all three ganged up on Dr. Quest.

"I think he needs some help." Marari made a small batch and joined the fight.

Race figured why not and joined in on the fun.

The fight lasted several minutes until they were all laughing and trying to brush the cold wet off their coats.

"Inside everyone," Race ordered. "Get dried off and go sit by the fireplace."

The temperature had dropped and he could see the gray clouds building. Looked like the next storm had arrived early and best place for them would be inside. The kids reluctantly headed for the door, while Dr. Quest stayed outside, Marari with him.

Race figured he'd check the generator just in case the power went out. It didn't happen often, but he knew from experience, it could.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Benton couldn't remember the last time he'd been involved in a snowball fight. In fact, he couldn't recall if he had ever joined Jonny and Rachelle outside after a snowstorm, even to build a snowman or make snow angels.

"You okay, Benton?" Marari placed her hand on his arm. "You should come inside. It's getting colder."

"I took Jonny on missions with me when he was younger." He hadn't actually answered her question.

"You still do from what I understand. He's very lucky to have you for a father."

He shook his head. "I let the boys use whatever equipment they wanted to go exploring, but I don't think I ever joined them for a snow ball fight. Work took priority."

Marari faced him. "I've never seen two boys so happy and for the most part well behaved. They know you love them and you've done more than most fathers. You spent time with them." She motioned to the messy yard. "They didn't hesitate to add you to their game."

He glanced up and saw Race nod, before the other man disappeared inside. "I feel guilty about…" Benton had no idea about what.

"You had a snowball fight with them today. So it was first. Who cares? Did you have fun?"

"I did."

"Then stop feeling guilty." Her fingers brushed his reddish brown beard. "You have some snow caught."

He took her hand, removed her glove, and kissed her palm. A blush spread on her face. "Benton, my hand please."

Greatly daring, he pulled her into his arms. "Maybe I don't want to let you go."

He heard her breath catch and before she could escape, he dared to kiss her. He felt her tense, before relaxing. Keeping it short, he released her, hoping he hadn't scared her off.

Marari took a step back, her golden brown eyes searching his face. "It's getting cold." She headed for the door.

With a sigh, he followed her, hoping his kiss hadn't been a mistake.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I found the Christmas decorations," Jonny called down the attic steps.

"You did?" Benton reached up for the large box. He set it on the hardwood floor. "How much more is up there?"

"Not sure." He heard his son rummaging around the room. "A few more."

"Need help?" Hadji asked. He'd slipped into the narrow hallway.

"Should have designed this area to be a bit larger." Another box appeared, he grabbed it and put it down. "Hadji, why don't you start taking these down to the living room."

"Okay, Dr. Quest." He grabbed one and left.

Several boxes later they had them all piled around the couches, but with a clear path to where the Christmas tree would be placed. He loved putting it right in front of the full length window so the lights could be seen whenever they arrived home.

"What a mess." Marari stood in the doorway.

"Organized mess," Benton corrected her, putting a box of old fashioned ornaments near where the tree would stand.

He heard a soft laugh. "I know what it's like when I'm home. Boxes everywhere until the decorating is done, then neatly put away until after New Year's."

"Pretty much." Earlier they'd found the outdoor lights. They rested in the main hall near the door.

"When will Race be back?" Jonny asked, as he pushed one box to the side.

"Tomorrow sometime." Race and Jessie had gone to Bangor to do some shopping and pick up some specific items he'd ordered.

"At least the snow has stopped," Hadji said. "It will still be a white Christmas."

"I lived in some places where we'd be lucky if it did," Marari shared. "Need help?"

"I think we have it done." He brushed his hands together trying to remove dust. "I heard your phone ring earlier. Everything all right?"

"Just Mac checking in to make sure everything was okay. He'd heard about our back to back storms." She sat down on the couch. "I reassured him all was well and I'd survived this type of weather before."

"Sounds like he was concerned about you." Benton sat down next to her.

"Mac is protective. I figured that out real quick when I worked with his team."

The boys had set up the chess board and stared intently at the pieces, watching each move made by their opponent. He enjoyed watching them play and wondered which one of them would win the round.

"I told you that you were a good father."

"What?" He looked at the woman beside him.

"Look at how happy they are." She pointed a Jonny and Hadji.

For the first time he really looked at the boys, not just what they were doing. Hadji's darker face reflected a type of inner peace. Jonny's had a mix of joy and sadness, yet not as much as it had just after his mother's death. The time immediately afterward had been a dark time for them both. Jonny had blamed him for his mother's death and had turned to Race as if he were the boy's father.

Benton had to admit, in some ways Race was as much a father to the boys as he himself was. Maybe more so because he often acted not just as a body guard, but also a teacher, babysitter and friend to both boys. Jonny longer than Hadji.

"Jonny was ten when we adopted Hadji, then eleven," he shared with Marari.

"I'd guessed they were close in age."

"Rachelle was delighted when we came back from India with another member for our family."

He'd expected her to be angry at his decision and making it without consulting her. She'd surprised him by accepting the boy as if the whole thing had been her idea. Indirectly it had. How often had he heard her say Jonny needed a brother?

"I'm guessing Race is their legal guardian?"

He nodded. "Had my lawyer arrange that soon after my wife died. I wanted them to have someone who loved and cared about them. I know Race does."

"How'd I-1 take that?"

"Not well." They'd been furious. So much so that it had led to a conflict. Race stood on the verge of quitting and coming to work for him directly. "He also found out he had a daughter."

Jessie and her mother Jade had been used as weapons to manipulate events by Dr. Zin. In the end they'd ended his plans and hopefully, they'd never see the man again.

"Interesting turn of events."

"I'd share more, but I think you should ask Race."

"His story, not yours." Marari settled her head on his shoulder. She felt right there and it un-nerved him how fast he was beginning to care deeply for this woman.

He kissed her forehead. "I'm glad you're here."

She smiled up at him, her eyes shining. "So am I."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Family traditions were strange things. Her own family had hung thirteen balls, exactly, on the tree every year, with the biggest brightest star on the top that blinked randomly on and off. Neither had any idea where the tradition had come from, yet it branched back many generations.

Amused, Marari watched the Quest family settle their large artificial tree into its place of honor by moving it a bit one direction and the other until it got put in the exact 'right' spot.

Jonny opened the nearest box and pulled out an ornament, blinking as he did so. His hand shook slightly he handed it to his father. "Mom always hung the first one." Her heart hurt for the boy. The first Christmas after the death of a loved one was always the most difficult.

Benton's face looked a little lost and he hesitated as if he didn't know what to do. He handed it back to Jonny. "Why don't you do for her."

Jonny solemnly nodded and took it, examining the tree for just the right spot. "How's that?"

"Perfect," his father assured him.

The decorating began full force, with Bandit darting under the tree and barking. Marari slipped out to answer her vibrating phone. "Hello, Tony."

"So, Dr. Quest put a ring on your finger yet?"

"Tony," she shook her head. "I barely I know the man."

"You're spending the holidays." His tone held a slight suggestive note.

"And the guest room here is very nice." She hoped she put an end to any further comments in the same vain. "What do you want?"

"You haven't answered my invitation yet."

"I thought Pepper was in charge RSVP's."

"For the most part." She could almost hear him shift in his chair. "So, are you coming?"

"I'm not coming alone and I haven't asked him yet."

"I'll put you down as maybe."

"Tony." She sighed. The man was impossible.

"Step on your last nerve yet."

"Not yet. How's the new contract?" Maybe a change of subject would help, although she doubted it.

"You'll find out when you get your monthly statement. I know you're trying to change the subject."

"You're right." She glanced behind her to see Benton coming toward her. "Look, Tony, I'll let you know."

"I know you will." He hung up.

"Tony Stark? What does he want?" Benton Quest frowned. For the first time she noticed the trace of white starting in his reddish brown hair around is ears. Made him look very distinguished.

"Just an answer to a question."

"Did you ever date him?" Did she pick up a hint of jealousy?

"No. He's just an annoying business partner." She put her phone back into her jean pocket. "How's it going in there?"

He laughed. "The kids are having fun."

"I think maybe some popcorn and hot chocolate might be in order." She headed for the kitchen. "Want to help?"

With a grin he joined her. "Thought you'd never ask."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Three weeks before Christmas, Collinsport had their huge craft fair. Marari smiled at Benton as he wandered by her side, gazing at the various handmade treasures. The booth they stood at contained bright scarves and the one next to it some of the most beautiful jewelry she'd ever seen.

"They do this every year?" he asked.

"Even when it snows." She picked out a scarf, paid for it and tucked it into the canvas bag she carried.

"Like last week." He nodded toward the huge mounds piled around the square. "Wonder how long it took them to clear this space."

"Wouldn't even want to speculate." She watched Jessie as the girl picked up a beaded necklace with a carved stone.

"That would look lovely on you," Mrs. Perkins, who ran the booth, told her. The older woman wore a thick coat and a hood over her graying hair.

"No thanks." She carefully put it back and hurried to where her father and the boys were looking a table full of metal scraps, bits and bobs, and other things.

"How are you today, Mrs. Perkins," Marari greeted.

"Not too bad." Her aging eyes caught the man by her side. "And who's this?"

"Meet Dr. Benton Quest," Marari introduced her companion. "This is Mrs. Molly Perkins."

"Great pleasure, sir. I hear we owe you a debt of gratitude."

Benton looked a bit uncomfortable. "Just doing what I think is right."

"Of course." Molly turned her attention back to Marari. "See anything you like, dearie?"

She picked up the necklace Jessie had admired. "I'll take this."

"You have good taste." She put it in a box and handed it over. "Make a right nice gift."

"I couldn't agree more." Marari tucked her hand around Benton's arm.

"That's for Jessie."

"You're learning." She led him over to join Race and kids.

"Hey, Dad," Jonny greeted. "Look at this stuff!"

"What do you have in mind to do with it?" Benton grinned, like a child on Christmas morning. Marari though it endearing.

"I could build a robot for the Science Fair next year."

"That's a good idea. Let's see what we can find."

They spent the next half hour sorting through the pieces allowing Marari to wander several booths, picking gifts out for Hadji, Jonny, Race and Benton. She'd watched each of them and knew what they'd lingered over with a wistful expression on their face.

Her shopping done, she returned to find them with a box full of stuff and laughing.

"I'd say it's time for a trip to the car," Race said, leading the way down the path to the parking lot normally used for the Collins family cannery.

"When did the Collins settle here?" Jonny asked as they loaded the back of the van.

"Sixteen hundreds," Marari answered, putting her bag in what she hoped would be a safe spot. "They established a fishing business and later this cannery. Made the family very rich before they started branching out sometime around seventeen fifty or so."

"A family that old," Hadji mused. "Might have been involved in the Revolutionary War."

"They were." She'd heard Barnabas talk about his old friends and their dreams for a new country. At times, she wondered what they'd think of how it had evolved and if it was still their dream or had become something they never wanted.

Race glanced at the sky and she followed his gaze. Gray clouds stacked up and no doubt they'd hit snow before they got home.

"We should go," the bodyguard said.

"I agree." Benton motioned everyone into the van.

They piled in and drove the narrow curved road, with the angry waves hitting the sides so hard, water splashed up and Race had to use the windshield wipers to clear it away.

"How about some Christmas music," Marari suggested sensing the tension build as the snow got worse and made it harder to see.

"Good idea," Race started to reach for the radio.

"I'll do it, Dad," Jessie volunteered, finding a station playing carols.

Marari reached for Benton's hand, and he whispered. "Good suggestion."

The kids started singing along and before they knew it they pulled up to the house. They piled out in the garage, unloading their treasures and rushing inside. The door closed and it felt almost like being trapped someplace dark, frightening, and oddly familiar.

Marari shook herself and went inside. Time to wrap some presents.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

How did Christmas Eve arrived so quickly, Benton wondered as he dressed for church. He put on his dark suit finishing the outfit with a Santa tie the boys had given him last year. His eyes drifted to the gold wedding band he still wore. Taking a deep breath, he removed it, placing it top of his dresser. His finger felt bare, but he suspected it wouldn't be for long.

Leaving his room he joined his sons as they headed down the stairs. Race and Jessie waited for them and he turned his eyes to the stairs as Marari descended, looking beautiful in a simple blue dress with a string of pearls around her neck with matching earrings.

He gulped, his heart rate increasing. His feet moved to the bottom and he extended his hand. "You look beautiful." Her fingers slipped into his and for a brief moment, they were the only two people in the world.

Race cleared his throat. "We don't want to be late."

"Of course." They moved to the door, putting on their coats and moving out into the frigid night.

His old friend had already pulled the van around. He motioned for Jessie to sit up front with her father and sat in the center with Marari. The boys had landed in the back.

There wasn't much traffic on the road. He imagined most had arrived earlier in the day or would the next for family gatherings as the trees and the dark ocean passed.

"I'm going to drop everyone at the door and park the car." Race's words broke into his thoughts.

Benton shook his head and noticed they'd arrived. Their church sat just outside town. The parking lot was filling fast and many people had already headed inside. As they walked inside, Marari's hand rested on his arm and he smiled, despite the few jealous looks tossed in his direction by various single women.

In their normal pew, he took a deep breath, smelling pine mixed with the scent of melting wax. Christmas carols filled the air and he sat back, completely content with his life, although briefly he felt Rachelle's loss.

"You all right?" Marari asked.

"Fine."

Her expression told him she knew better. How had she learned to read him so quickly? Her hand found his and he squeezed it.

During the service he was pleasantly surprised to discover Marari had a pleasant singing voice. He listened to her as the congregation sang of the birth of the baby come to save the world and the events of a night that happened so long ago.

Pastor Harris presented his normal and familiar short sermon and they headed out. It took some time as the pastor liked to greet everyone personally.

"Hello, Dr. Quest," the preacher greeted. "And who is this lovely lady?"

"Marari Collins Pryor," she introduced herself. "I enjoyed the service."

"As in the Collinsport Collins?"

"Distant cousin." She extended her hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

"And you." They shook before his attention reverted to Benton. He didn't miss the pastor's surprised expression and suspected he'd noticed the missing wedding band. With a chuckle he said, "After all my attempts to introduce you to various available ladies, you managed to find one on your own."

"We met by chance." He wondered if his face was as red as he felt it was.

"At a scientific conference," Marari added. Gently she took his arm. "Race is waiting in the car." She pointed to the van.

"I'm sure it will be an interesting story," Pastor Harris said, with a knowing grin. His attention moved to the next person in line.

Grateful to escape, Benton escorted her to the van noticing everyone else had already taken their seats.

"Took you long enough," Race teased.

"You know how Pastor Harris likes to greet everyone."

"Right." Race guided the vehicle onto the highway. "I didn't miss the looks you two got."

"Race," he warned.

"What the doc hasn't told you, Marari, is that Pastor Harris had been trying to play match maker."

"Didn't have much success did he?" She smiled. "I've always believed in devine appointments."

"What's that?" Jonny asked.

His father explained. "That's when God arranges a meeting we think is by chance but really isn't."

"That doesn't make sense."

"It will when you're older," Marari assured his son.

Jonny shrugged. "If you say so."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After they'd returned the family had enjoyed a light dinner of sandwiches and Christmas cookies. Then the children had gone to bed. She'd tried to sleep and found her mind wouldn't cooperate. Too many troublesome thoughts whirled through her mind. She hoped a cup of tea would help.

"Can't sleep?" Benton asked. He entered the kitchen, his bathrobe partially open revealing red and green checked pajamas.

"Happens." The water boiled and she turned off the stove. "Want a cup?"

"That would be nice." He sat down at the island. "What's on your mind?"

"How would you feel about attending a New Year's party at Tony Stark's?"

"He's not my favorite person."

"Mine either, but I do like the man, despite his abrasive personality." She placed the tea pot on the marble surface and filled two cups, one of which she gave to Benton. "I talked to Pepper earlier. Seems Bruce Wayne will also be there, along with anyone who is anyone."

Benton groaned. "I avoid those parties when I can."

"I understand. Cousin Barnabas will probably be putting in an appearance." She sat down and took a sip of her tea. "I told Tony I wasn't coming alone."

"And if I said no?"

She reached across the cool surface and took his hand. "What would it take to convince you?"

Conflicting emotions raced across his face, before he glanced down. "I take it the party is in New York?"

"It is." She waited.

He took a deep breath before his eyes met hers. "We could spend a few days in city together."

"Is that a yes?"

Benton nodded. "It is."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Christmas morning the children were up early. Race joined them as they looked through the goodies in their stockings. He and Benton had filled them before they'd retired for the evening. When they'd been children candy and toys had been sufficient. As they'd gotten older, they'd had to get more creative and this year they had fruit and some special surprises Marari had picked up at a craft show in Collinsport.

Jessie's eyes had widened when she'd seen the necklace and a few tears had escaped. She'd immediately had him help with the clasp so she could wear it.

"Morning," Dr. Quest greeted handing Race a cup of coffee.

"Thanks." Race took a sip, the hot brew helping to clear his foggy brain.

Marari appeared, a cup of what he guessed was tea in her hand. "Merry Christmas!" Like the rest, she had a robe on and still wore her pajamas.

Bandit barked, running up to say hello.

"Hi to you too, Bandit," she greeted. He ran back to join Jonny, his shor t tail wagging.

Dr. Quest moved to her side, his arm slipping around her. Race looked away, trying not to smile. He heard the doc's next question.

"You never said what you wanted for Christmas."

"I've already gotten it. A family Christmas."

Race glanced back surprised and noticed the same look on Dr. Quest's face.

"That's all you wanted?"

"I'm not hard to please, Benton." She gave him a quick kiss.

"None of that mushy stuff." Jonny darted across the room and pulled his father to the tree. "Come on, Dad."

Marari shook her head and sat on a couch.

An hour later, all presents had been opened. Everyone dashed to their rooms to get dressed and later gathered in the kitchen for breakfast. Race could tell Marari had cooked again and suspected the kids had helped. They carried various platters and bowls to the table, proud looks reflected on their faces.

"Your children have turned into really good cooks," Marari complimented, taking a chair next to Dr. Quest.

"Thank you for teaching them."

"It was my pleasure."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"You have to leave, Dad?" Jonny asked, as he lounged on Benton's bed.

"It's only for a few days, Jonny." He tucked a few comfortable sweaters into his suitcase along with some jeans and dress pants. Only one suit would be needed for the party. "Race will be here."

"Wasn't worried about that." Jonny frowned. "When you get back, is Marari staying?"

Benton paused, trying to decide how best to answer his son's question. "I believe she's going back to Collinsport."

"Do you like her?"

"Very much." How much he wasn't sure yet. "Jonny," He sat down next to the boy. "I've already talked to Hadji." Luckily it hadn't been a difficult discussion. Hadji had been very supportive. His son, he wasn't sure about. "How would you feel about her becoming a part of our family?"

Jonny sat up and seemed to think about it. He wore his usual dark top and jeans, yet seemed a bit more grown up and not quite a normal twelve year old boy. "I'm not sure. I mean I like her and all."

He waited.

"Do you want her to become part of our family?"

"I'm thinking about it." He had since he'd removed his wedding band.

"I…guess it would be okay." His son hugged him. "Does Marari know yet?"

"No." He hoped he would ask her sometime during their time in the city. "So it's okay with you."

"Yeah."

Jonny needed a mother and so did Hadji. They both got along with Marari and she with them. Teaching them to cook had been a huge surprise and the gifts she'd gotten them proved she cared enough to find things they'd like. He had no doubt she'd make a great mom.

He just hoped Bandit didn't make life too difficult for Prim.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I haven't been to New York in a long time," Marari commented as the city appeared below them.

Benton glanced over at her from behind the plane's controls. The flight from Rockport to New York City was only a couple of hours. They'd be landing in a few minutes at Tony Stark's personal airport. "You haven't?"

"Been to DC many times. Cousin Barnabas has his own pilot for his jet, so does Julian."

Both men were important in her life and he knew that. No doubt she'd flown with them many times. "Both Race and I have our license. Jonny and Jesse both will before long."

"Lucky kids." She sat back in her seat, checking her seat belt. "Bet it comes in handy."

"It does." Saved time waiting for someone else to fly them where they needed to go.

"Think I read something in Race's file about him being a combat pilot."

Marari didn't talk much about what she'd learned about his family for conference security. "That's correct."

"Nice to see he kept flying."

His had to keep his attention on landing. After identifying his plane, he received instructions to land and followed them, stopping the plane a few feet from the hanger. "Ready?"

"Absolutely." Marari released the seat belt and joined him in gathering their luggage and exiting the plane. "Looks like Tony sent a welcoming commity."

A black limo waited with a smiling strawberry blond waiting for them. She wore a business suit and looked quite professional. "Hello, Marari." She greeted his companion with a hug.

"Hi, Pepper. May I introduce Dr. Benton Quest."

"Nice to meet you." She shook his hand with a firm grip. "Marari has told me a great deal about you. I'm Pepper Potts."

"Pleasure to meet you." He knew the woman by reputation and the fact she was mentoring Candice who now served as the CEO of both LilMorCol and Quest Enterprises.

"Please," Pepper motioned them into the limo. She entered, sitting across from them. "How was your flight?"

"I'm getting spoiled," Marari said. "I don't remember the last time I actually flew on a commercial plane."

"I know how you feel." Pepper smiled. "If there is anything I can do to make your stay more enjoyable, please let me know."

"Don't you have a company to run?" Marari asked.

"Old habits die hard." Her phone rang. "If you'll excuse me for a moment."

Benton tuned out the conversation. "How long have you known her?"

"Awhile. I tend to make good lasting friends."

"So I see."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Benton had rented a suite and they'd settled in to each of their rooms. Marari was used to sharing a common space with her cousin or Julian and Lillie, so it didn't bother her. Hanging up her clothes, she went to see what they had.

Benton stood on the balcony and she joined him. "Penny for your thoughts."

"Only a penny?" He smiled teasingly at her.

"Fine a quarter then." She shivered. "Should have grabbed my coat."

"Come here." She moved closer and he put his arm around her. "Better?"

"A little." Her eyes traveled over the city. "Nothing like what I grew up with."

"You don't talk about that much."

"For good reason." With effort she blocked the memories. She'd never shared that part of her life with anyone, not even her deceased husband. "What do you have planned for our time here?"

"Whatever we want."

"Spontaneous, huh? That's not like you."

"I'm full of surprises."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

New Year's Eve arrived after a hectic couple of days. They'd gone ice skating, toured the United Nations building, and done some shopping. Benton had deliberately taken Marari shopping in an exclusive boutique for a dress. She's protested, but he'd insisted. Out of revenge she'd refused to let him see what she'd picked until tonight.

Nervously he stood in the living room area, adjusting his tie for the umpteenth time while he waited. After a few more minutes she stepped out and he gasped.

She'd chosen a stunning green and blue floor length dress, clinging to her body that left little to imagination what her figure looked like. Around her neck glittered a sapphire necklace, that her fingers lightly touched. Dangling earrings matched perfectly. "They were a Christmas gift from Barnabas."

It took him a moment to find his voice. "Your cousin is generous."

"He can be."

"You look…stunning."

"I feel overdressed."

He shook his head. "I doubt it, considering who is going to be at this party."

"You really didn't have to buy the dress."

"I wanted to."

She looked down shyly. "Thank you."

All he wanted to do was crush her to him and kiss her so deeply she'd beg for more. He took a very deep breath knowing he couldn't give in to his desire. "We'd better go."

She nodded and he helped her with her coat. Once they got downstairs a limo waited taking them to the tower where the party was being held. At the door, a smiling woman checked in their coats and they took the elevator up the floor filled with men in expensive suits and women in dresses ranging from suggestive to dignified modest.

"Maybe I'm not overdressed," she murmured in his ear.

"Told you." He gently took her hand and placed it around his arm. The looks being tossed in Marari's direction, made him very uneasy.

"There you are," Tony greeted as he intercepted them halfway across the room. He wore a white suite with an orange shirt partially unbuttoned and no tie. "You look amazing, Marari."

"Thank you, Tony." She gave the billionaire a kiss on the cheek. "Where's Pepper?"

"Ah," he turned and pointed. "Over there holding court."

"If you're smart, you'll hold onto her. She's a rare jewel."

"Don't I know it." He started to move away. "Oh, save me a dance for later."

"Only if you remain sober."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Bruce Wayne claimed Marari for a dance later in the evening. She didn't mind, she expected it. Benton hadn't looked happy, but she'd left him in Pepper's company.

"He's been jealously protecting you all night," Bruce told her as they moved across the floor.

"I know."

"You're a lucky woman."

"I never thought to meet someone after my husband died."

"Just proves that something good can happen."

"What about you, Bruce?"

His expression tightened. "I have my own destiny."

She nodded, not exactly sure what he meant. "You've done a lot of good."

"I hope so." The song ended and he returned her to Benton. "Thank you for the dance," he told her, giving her hand a kiss.

"Anytime, Bruce."

"You two seemed to be having a serious talk." Benton took her hand.

"No more than normal."

"How about some air?"

"Great idea."

He led her through the crowd to a long balcony. The cool air felt wonderful after the stuffy hot and perfume laden room. The view, however, was amazing and she moved to look out over the brightly lit city.

"Hard to believe after all that's happened, that the city looks so spectacular." She looked at Benton. "What's on your mind?"

"I was going to wait, but-". He pulled a small box out of a pocket.

She had no doubt what it contained and waited to see if he confirmed her suspicions.

"Marari, I love you." He swallowed and she waited. His fingers opened the box and he turned it to face her. "Will you marry me?"

She didn't even hesitate. "Yes."

He took out the ring and placed it on her finger. Under the light she could see it held a sapphire and two emeralds. Blue and green, two of her favorite colors. "I love you, too."

They sealed their engagement with a kiss. 


	6. Chapter 6

Say Goodbye to Yesterday

Dragonlots aka Dana Bell

Chapter 6

"How was New York?" Colonel Sheppard asked when Marari stuck her head in his office.

"You've added some art work." She pointed at the movie posters on the wall. He'd framed three, _The Last Starfighter, Star Wars_ and _Back to the Future_ , the latter of which Rodney had a few things to say about the inaccuracy of the science.

"Yeah." John grinned. She wondered why his black hair always looked like he'd forgotten to comb it. "You didn't answer my question."

Wordlessly she showed him her ring. He whistled. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. I'd appreciate it if you didn't make a big deal out of it."

"You know me."

"You're right I do." She changed the subject. "I've heard Dr. Jackson is back."

"His normal lab. Has a chalkboard up and I don't think he slept last night."

"Shouldn't let him get away with that."

"I have a whole city full of brilliant scientists, linguists and about any other specialty you can name. I can't baby sit them all."

"And working all hours accomplishes more than keeping the normal nine to five?"

"Most get so wrapped up in their own work I think sometimes they forget to eat."

"They do." Marari thought of the number of times she'd brought Benton food while he worked in his lab. He always seemed so startled, as if the hours had no meaning. "Guess I'd better head down and see if he needs any help."

"Thought your cousin needed your help this week."

She shook her head. "The senate is taking a few extra days before they meet again. When I spoke to him this morning, he was reading bills and deciding what to vote for."

"Has he decided if he's going to run for president?"

"Still thinking. A few polls we've run indicate he'd probably get elected, even if he runs on a third party ticket." She laughed. "He wants to name his party The Sons of Liberty." She knew why and thought it a good compliment to men who had founded the United States.

"Interesting choice."

"You have no idea." She ducked out, heading down the metal stairs toward the main control room. Rodney and Zelinka had their laptops open, cross referencing, whatever they were working on. She waved at them both and took the main hallway leading toward the lab area. Most of the doors were open with scientists working on projects, napping or loudly discussing and in some cases arguing over their ideas.

At Daniel Jackson's lab, she lightly knocked before entering. He glanced at her, a book in one hand and a piece of chalk in the other. She glanced at what he was transcribing, realizing he still hadn't completed the translation he'd sent to her and Benton a few weeks ago.

"That's wrong," she said, picking up chalk and crossing out what he'd written. "This should be Ring of the Lords."

"How do you know?" He put the book down on his desk and came to stare at the change.

"Not sure. Like you this seems familiar, yet I don't know why."

"It's similar to ancient Egyptian, but there are twists and odd symbols."

"Wait a minute," something clicked in her memory. "My parents had a book with this writing in it."

"What? That's not possible. We found this on PX-1138. Natives said strangers left it there before they continued on a long journey."

Her hand started writing a line below what Daniel had transcribed. Her words didn't quite mesh with his original translation.

 _In the days long ago before the star began its death throws, we came here through the Ring of the Lords. We found this to be a good world, one of which to build our great cities and for our people to grow._

"Not grow," she murmured. Marari frowned and looked at it again. It was like her mind translated it into another language before she could figure it out in English.

 _Flourish. This mighty world we call Kobol, the jewel of what it means to be human._

"That's more than I figured out." Daniel watched her, but made no attempt to stop her. She felt sorry for him as this was supposed to be his area of expertise.

 _In time we once again reached for the stars, finding more worlds to settle our people. When the dark times came, twelve of our tribes resettled on the planets we discovered while the thirteenth…_

Could she possibly be reading this right?

 _while the thirteenth returned along the path we'd originally come, first back to the city below the waves and then to Earth._

"Daniel," she put the chalk down. "Are they talking about Atlantis?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Barnabas slowly walked across the plaza, wondering what his old friend George Washington would have thought about a monument raised in his honor. The tall thin building reflected in the long pool along with the clear blue sky. Near the Potomac stood the one dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, He would have been thrilled to have one dedicated to him. He'd always had a bit of an ego.

Too bad they hadn't honored John Adams. He'd been a good man with a heart to raise their newly created country and hope for a bright strong future. As for Benjamin Franklin, well, the man had been brilliant enough to rival scientists like Dr. Rodney McKay or Dr. Benton Quest and even Dr. Samantha Carter.

Thinking of Dr. Quest, Barnabas stopped, watching the various people hurrying to their destinations and not taking a moment to enjoy the sense of history before them, he wasn't sure how he felt about his cousin's engagement. They hadn't officially announced it yet, although they could have at Tony Starks New Year's Eve party, an event he'd missed because of a council meeting at Julian Luna's in San Francisco.

Julian was the Kindred prince of the city, with a peace treaty with the Halliwell witches to prevent the death of clam members.** The Charmed Ones had proven deadly to many of the supernatural creatures who had tried to impose their will on or murder mortals. He wished they were in DC to deal with the one influencing the president. He didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to protect the SGC or even his own life.

His mind drifted back to the council meeting. Not much had been accomplished since most had wanted to be out celebrating. The main question had been whether or not Barnabas should run for president. The council had been split. They decided to leave the choice in his hands.

Question was - did he really want to run and risk exposing the world of the undead? He'd be in the news constantly, having his picture taken, and his every move would be watched carefully. Difficult to continue the masquerade as the Kindred called it with so many eyes watching him.

Perhaps the real question should have been, would him being elected president really accomplish their one goal, keep humanity alive so the vampires survived?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Benton glanced at the lab door, half expecting Marari to come through it with a meal or to check on him. His home seemed empty without her and even his son's wanted to know when she'd return. He'd had to explain several times that she had gone back to work and would be away for several weeks.

With a sigh, he put down the item he'd been building. It joined the scattered parts on the metal counter. Who was he kidding? He missed the woman who had become a part of their lives in a few short weeks to the point he couldn't remember a time when she hadn't been there.

He heard a beep and checked his phone. The text message read, _Get on Skype, my love._

Quickly he signed into his account and connected with Marari. Benton didn't recognize the silver blue wall behind her and wondered about the project location. "Hey, Handsome," she greeted.

"Hi, beautiful Lady," he returned, delighted to hear from her. "How's your day?"

"Not bad. I decided to stay at the base and save myself the thirty minute drive."

At least he had some idea how long she drove to work. He did know the location of the various military bases and there wasn't one near Collinsport. "How's Prim?"

She laughed. "A bit cranky. I think she misses Bandit."

"He keeps looking for her."

"Well, at least we know they might get along." She shifted her screen so he could partially see out an open balcony door. Briefly he glimpsed glittering spirals, before the endless deep blue ocean and lighter tinted sky filled the back ground. "Great view, huh?"

"It is." He wanted to see what she hadn't shown him. "You must be right on the coast."

"Uh, sort of." She bit her lip. "Sorry, can't tell you anything else. I keep pushing General O'Neill about clearance for you, yet whatever happened between you two-"

"Which is none of your concern," he snapped.

"We need your expertise here, so yes, it is."

"Stay out of it, Marari."

"That's what the general told me."

"I'm surprised you didn't find it in the files on my family."

"Do you have any idea how much of it was redacted and how we had to fight with I-1 just to get what we needed to safeguard you and your family?" She shook her head, obviously irritated. "I've never seen Mattie so angry."

He blinked, her words sinking in and making an odd sense. Race had arranged security for a number of visits and appearances. He couldn't imagine what the Director of the Phoenix Foundation, and her team, might have had to go through to keep all the visiting scientists safe. "I guess I hadn't thought about it."

"Probably not." She huffed. "Sorry. I'd just hoped you'd realized how much I kept to myself about all of you."

"I appreciate it." He'd supposed they'd have a fight eventually, but hadn't realized it would be over something so trivial. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"I pushed." She moved away and the ocean view vanished. "I'm just upset because O'Neill won't clear you."

"Might take a long time."

"I'll leave it in your hands. Oh," she snapped her fingers. "Daniel and I might have figured out a translation." Marari frowned. "Weird thing was, my mind had to translate it into another language before I could write it in English."

"That's unusual."

"I'll say." She moved away, but he could see her pacing. "The language seemed really familiar. Like I'd seen it before. My parents," she stopped. "Let's just say they had a book I would swear was written with the same symbols."

"Do they still have it?" He felt excited about the prospect.

"My parents are dead and our childhood home gone, along with everything we owned."

He hesitated before asking, not sure how much she'd share with him. "What happened?"

"Not exactly sure." She sat down so he could see her face again. "I was away at college. What I was told is that the house shook and exploded."

"It must have been difficult." His mind supplied possible causes. A gas explosion being the best explanation.

"Yeah. Luckily, our Collins cousins found out and had my siblings come live with them. My youngest brother called it a haunted old house no one should ever live in." She glanced down. "Each made their get-away when they graduated high school."

"Any idea where they are now?" He knew his question pried and wondered if she'd tell him.

"Both my brothers went to France and are living in some small countryside town. My sisters," she paused. "One married and has a family and lives in Toronto, the other decided she wanted to do humanitarian work and last I heard she served in Africa somewhere."

"At least you know they're all right." He couldn't imagine not spending time or communicating with his family. Part of him hoped they kept the tight bond they currently had.

"Bad part is my parents never got the chance to share whatever family secret, which had been passed down from their parents to them and theirs before that, and so forth. So I'll, we'll, never know what it was."

"Knowing where you come from is important. Is there any way at all for you to find out?"

"Not unless I can track down my eccentric crazy aunt who only showed up when she needed a free place to stay. Not even sure what her name is. She kept changing it."

Might be a way for him to find out, if Marari would tell him where she'd grown up. He started to ask when he realized he heard a voice in the background.

"Apologize for interrupting, Ms. Pryor. Dr. McKay found something you might want to see."

"Thanks, Jake." Her attention returned to him. "Sorry, Benton. We just discovered something important."

He wished he didn't understand, but he'd done the same to Rachelle more times than he could remember. "We'll talk tomorrow."

"Of course, we will." She kissed two fingers and placed them on the screen. "Love you."

"Love you," he replied, just before the screen went dark. Sitting back in his chair he cursed silently. A few more minutes and he might have been able to find out more about his future wife.

"Hungry, Doc?" Race called from the door.

"Yes." Benton shut down the computer. "What's for dinner?"

"No idea. The kids cooked."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Marari had only been in the archives once before on her initial tour of the city. Dr. Carson Becket had originally discovered it when they'd found the city submerged in the Pegasus galaxy. Many consulted the records, but not, she suspected, as much as they probably should. Most seemed to like to stumble over discoveries.

Rodney and Daniel both stood there gazing at a star map hovering over their heads. Twelve worlds circled a sun, with many moons orbiting them. Farther away another appeared with a blinking star and an area of darkness leading to it.

"How'd you find this?" she asked.

"Good. They found you." Rodney moved to stand beside her. "Zelinka and I found this last night and told Dr. Jackson a couple of hours ago."

"Seems to match the writing we found," Daniel added. "Twelve worlds with one with a dying star." He pointed at the holographic solar system.

"Maybe." Marari walked under their find. "Seems to match the description, which if correct," she reached her hand up toward the flashing sun. "Then this is Kobol."

"Now the question becomes," Daniel joined her. "Where in the galaxy is Kobol located and these twelve worlds?"

"Hmmm." Images of the thirteen balls and the randomly flashing star returned to her memory. Could it be her family carried a legacy which spanned back centuries to this one event? If the book she remembered still existed, she might be able to prove it. Otherwise, it would only be speculation on her part. Unless her aunt knew and she had no intention of trying to locate the crazy woman.

"What bothers me is the reference about the thirteenth tribe returning to the submerged city." Daniel glanced at her probably waiting to see if she'd comment.

Rodney crossed his arms over his chest, a thoughtful look on his round face. "We know the Ancients returned to Earth because of the Wraith."

"Wish we knew the timeline." Daniel walked around looking at the two star systems.

"That's the difficult part," Marari agreed. "The translation makes it sound like the thirteenth tribe returned to Atlantis after it had been sunk under the ocean, but before they came back?"

Daniel nodded. "It's a good guess."

"Shall we ask?" Rodney motioned at the platform where an image of an ancient would appear and answer questions. "What is Kobol?"

A dark haired woman appeared wearing a long shimmering white dress. "Kobol is the birth place of humanity."

Daniel took over while Marari listened. "Is that where the, what we call the Ancients, came from?"

"We understand the term in reference to what you call us." A pale hand reached up. "We had not lived there since before the sun began to die."

"What?"

"The city. Atlantis. Had left long before."

She had her own question. "Did some of the survivors from Kobol reach Atlantis before everyone returned to Earth?"

"Some yes."

"What happened to the other tribes who lived there?"

"We are uncertain as it was not added to our record."

Both Daniel and Rodney looked shocked. Marari shook her head. "Well, at least they didn't know everything."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Three months after the discovery of Doctors Jackson and McKay and indirectly Marari Pryor, Colonel John Sheppard sat in his office after a long conversation with General O'Neill. He could still hear the words in his head.

"We're shutting down the Homeworld security offices and are on our way to join you at Atlantis. Both the _General Hammond_ and _Deadalus_ will be docking shortly."

"What happened?" John's heart rate increased and he wanted to leap into battle. O'Neill had just confirmed several rumors they'd been hearing.

A hard look passed over the aging man's face. "We received a warning from Senator Collins. The president is declaring war on the SGC and is in process of organizing an attack."

"That's crazy. We're protecting this planet!"

"I know, Colonel." O'Neill sighed. "We've managed to keep a low profile given the current political atmosphere, but it got leaked somehow and we have maybe a few hours before they attack Cheyenne Mountain."

"Has General Landry been warned?"

"Called him before I contacted you. They're evacuating as many as possible to the A and B sites. Colonel Mitchell, Vala and a few others volunteered to stay behind to make certain most of the staff and their families escape."

John didn't know everyone on at the mountain, but did know a few names. "How do you know they won't come after us?"

"The senator managed, although I don't know how, to delete or hide the information, but you won't be able to use the gate. They can track the power surge." He paused as if listening. "I used a magnet on my computer, so it won't be any use to them."

"Where are you?"

"Appears we have allies we didn't know about. Senator Collins is loaning us his private jet so we can get out of DC. Lucky I have a small staff."

"What's your ETA?" He'd have to be prepared and he needed to talk to Dr. McKay about the ZPM. They'd need to cloak the city.

"Couple of hours." He heard a slamming noise. "We won't be the only ones joining you. The director of the Phoenix Foundation is on her way along with or without a number of scientists who collaborated with us. At the very least she promised to help them disappear and start a new life." O'Neill chuckled with no humor. "That lady has connections."

John closed his eyes, hoping they could get to everyone. "That's going to include Dr. Benton Quest."

The general fell silent briefly. "Mattie says she's got Doctor Quest and his family covered."

"I'll let Marari know." The colonel knew the emergency protocols." I'll keep everyone here and let them know what is going on." He'd dispatch transport for Dr. Miller and her family. If he didn't, McKay would go get his sister himself.

"Colonel, are those stasis tubes usable?" John's attention refocused on O'Neill. "We may need them. This is not going to blow over overnight or I suspect any time soon."

Given what John had heard about the increasing hostility toward scientists, he understood O'Neill's concern. The only thing that might save them was if Senator Collins ran for president. "I'll have McKay, Beckett and Zelinka check them out."

"I have no idea how many refugees we'll be getting."

"We can handle it." John knew they could. They'd done it before after they'd first found the city. Teyla and her people had lived with them for a short time before relocating to one of continents.

"Good. Hope to see you soon." The phone line went dead. John stared at his cell briefly before going in search of the specialists he needed.

He found some of them in the records room with a couple of star systems floating over their heads.

"We made an amazing discovery," Rodney began, before stopping. "What's wrong?"

"Trouble. The government has just declared war on the SGC."

"What about those in Colorado Springs?" Daniel asked, his concern reflected both in his tone and on his face.

"Already evacuating." He turned to the astrophysicist. "Find Zelinka and Beckett. I want you to check out the stasis tubes."

"You want us to what?" Rodney's eyes widened. "And what about my sister and her family?"

"I'm sending transport for them and you heard me."

"Damn," Marari muttered. "What happened?"

"I only have a brief story." He shared what he knew. "We only know because of a warning from Senator Collins."

She covered her eyes with her hand. "He won't be able to run now."

"Rodney, go," John ordered. The scientist hurried out. "Why not, Marari?"

"Long story. This outcome does not surprise me. Not from some of the things my cousin has said."

"End program," Daniel ordered. The solar systems vanished. "Keeping secrets, Marari?"

"Just like I keep Atlantis safe, Daniel." Her worried eyes met John's. "What about Benton and his family?"

"General said Director Webber has got it covered."

"Oh, that's going to be amusing." She laughed. "Poor Benton."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

General O'Neill arrived just as the _General Hammond_ docked. The jumper landed and the group disembarked, looking a little lost. He didn't blame them since he hadn't visited Atlantis himself.

"Welcome, General O'Neill," John greeted as they disembarked in the main landing hanger.

"Colonel Sheppard." He fell into step with the officer. "How are your preparations going?"

"We just put the first group into stasis." He turned to a younger officer following. "Major Lorne, will escort your staff to temporary quarters."

The younger officer saluted the general before turning to the group of officers and a few civilians. "If you'll follow me." They rounded a corner and disappeared up some stairs.

Jack was escorted to the main control room. He looked around with interest, his eyes resting on the stargate and the different panels he'd heard about in reports.

"Colonel Carter's crew will be going straight into stasis, same with Colonel Caldwell's," the colonel reported.

Jack followed Sheppard up the stairs and into his office. The colonel took a chair behind a wooden desk. The general sat across from him.

"None of the scientists have arrived yet," Sheppard told him.

"Director Webber is handling the situation." He knew he'd told the colonel that.

"Lucky for us we discovered an odd machine that seems to recharge the ZPM. Dr. McKay said it should keep the city powered to keep the stasis chambers running along with the shield."

"What kind of machine?" First Jack had heard about it.

"We literally just found it hidden in the stasis room. Had a tarp over it covered in dust and pushed behind a stack of equipment." He shook his head. "Wish we'd known it was there. We have could have used it many times in the past."

Marari rushed in. O'Neill frowned at her. "Sorry, General, John." She took a deep breath. "I just received a text from my cousin. The president has just ordered his arrest on the charge of treason."

Both men got to their feet. "Is he safe?" the general demanded.

"Lucky for them, Tony Stark flew Barnabas and his staff out of DC about thirty minutes before the edict was issued."

John sat back down. "Any idea where he took them?"

She shook her head. "Avenger headquarters maybe or one of their safe houses? Barnabas didn't tell me and I know better than to ask Tony."

"So I guess your cousin won't be running for president." Too bad, Jack thought. He would have made a good president and maybe have gotten the nation back on track.

"Not this time around. Maybe at a much later date. He's got time."

Her words seemed slightly off and O'Neill couldn't figure out why.

"I'm going to go watch for Benton and his family's arrival. Oh, and John, the _Deadalus_ is about fifteen minutes out. Rodney asked me to let you know."

"Thanks, Marari."

She nodded and left.

Sheppard looked at O'Neill. "Any idea what happened at Cheyenne Mountain?"

Jack shook his head. "I got a brief message from Landry the attack had begun before all communication stopped." He sighed. "We might never know."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Several hours later, the crew of both ships had been placed in stasis as had most of the Atlantis scientists and along with their families, including the Miller family. McKay and Zelinka busily worked to close down the control panels and make certain the shield would last long enough to keep them concealed.

John hoped the new machine proved as affective as they were certain it would be.

"Here's Director Webber's report." Marari handed Colonel Sheppard the message.

 _Most scientists who collaborated with the SGC are secure and have been relocated. Hard to believe we have as much support as we do and how readily they offered their resources._

 _Tell Marari that Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark played a huge part. So did Julian Luna._

 _On our way to Maine and will pick up the Quests in route._

 _Thanks for the coordinates._

 _Mattie_

O'Neill had looked over John's shoulder and hummffed. "No way they'll be able to land a jet here."

"Ordinary jet maybe." Marari gave the general a knowing look. "The Quest jet on the other hand, Race will be able to."

"What's so different about their jet?"

"I take it you haven't seen it?"

The general shook his head. John wanted to know too.

"Let's just say it has some unique properties. You'll see once it lands."

McKay spoke up. "They'd better get here before we engage the shield. Every moment it's down, we're vulnerable to attack."

"From what Barnabas communicated," Marari replied. "They only know about the SGC in Colorado, not Atlantis. They won't be looking here quite yet. Not unless they think Barnabas would be stupid enough to return to Collinsport."

Rodney snorted. "If we're lucky." He turned to John. "Thank you for rescuing my sister and her family."

"Knew we needed to make certain they were safe."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Luna's private jet landed at the Quest compound after a long flight across the US with multiple stopes. Dr. Quest had his own private runway and which made Mattie's job easier. They'd be harder to trace than if they'd landed in Bangor or even a smaller local airport.

She'd gotten the report after they'd taken off in LA that Phoenix had been raided by a combination of the FBI and military. Nothing had been left behind for them to find. Mattie had made certain of that. She imagined the look on their faces when they found the computer banks gutted and destroyed. It made her smile.

Julian Luna had unexpectedly offered relocation assistance for most of her employees. She had no idea the San Francisco businessman had such an elaborate underground and when she's asked him about it, he'd simply replied, "We all have our secrets."

"Mac, tell the pilot to take off once we disembark," Mattie ordered, getting ready to disembark.

"Consider it done." He knocked on the door and gave the pilot the order. He glanced over his team. "Come on, let's go."

Jack rolled his eyes and grabbed his small duffle bag. Browser claimed a suitcase and Riley grabbed hers along with her laptop computer.

They left the plane and cleared just as the plane taxied out and took off. She watched it vanish into the gray sky. "Keep moving. We don't know how long we have."

They headed for the main house and she was surprised when a jeep like vehicle approached them. A man with white hair frowned at them and she didn't miss the gun he carried.

"Hello, Mr. Bannon," Jack greeted. "Remember us?"

The man frowned at Dalton, until his eyes rested on Mac. "I remember you."

"Good to see you too, Race. We have a situation and need to get the Quests out of here before they're arrested for treason."

"We haven't done anything."

"You haven't," Mattie agreed. "We don't have a lot of time."

She read the body guard's concerned expression and knew they'd won.

"Get in." They crawled inside and headed for the house. "What's going on?" he asked.

Mattie started talking. "Dr. Quest consulted on a project the president has decided is a danger the United States. Everyone who has had any contact is in danger. That includes us."

His face tightened. "It's the same project Marari is involved with isn't it. Do you know if she's safe?"

"I haven't heard. We need to hurry, Mr. Bannon." She checked the sky for possible pursuit. "The clock is ticking."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

An hour later Benton watched Race, along with Mac and Jack load the luggage into the back of his newest jet. Two of the agents, a dark skinned man and a lovely exotic young woman, had already gone on board along with the kids. A ball rolled down the ramp and Bandit grabbed it before trotting back to Jonny.

"Are you almost done loading?" Mattie demanded. She stood at the top her arms akimbo and looking impressive in her dark suit.

"Yep." Jack returned. "And just in time.' He nodded toward the convoy of jeeps headed their way.

"Everyone on board!" Race ordered.

Dr. Quest hesitated, looking at the group about to descent up them.

Mattie yelled at him. "Get up here or so help me Dr. Quest, I will tie you up and toss you onboard your fancy jet."

"Unless one of your group is a pilot, I wouldn't advise it." He hurried up the ramp and he was aware of Mattie following him. Race secured the doors and each person claimed a seat in the main area. He slid into the co-pilot's chair, helping his friend get the jet going.

"Jonny, get Bandit under control," Benton snapped, aware of how narrowly they might escape the group coming to arrest them.

The plane slowly rose, not needing a runway to gain speed before gaining altitude. He heard an explosion and they rocked slightly. "Let's get out of here, Race."

"Right, doc."

Expertly they worked together to get the plane into the air and headed in the direction of Collinsport.

"So where are we going?" Race asked. Mattie gave him the coordinates.

"There's nothing there," Benton said.

"Oh, yes there is." The woman looked smug.

"Got a couple of fighters in pursuit," Race reported.

"I have every confidence you can,"

An explosion just off starboard side shook the plane. Bandit barked and Jessie screamed.

"Hold on, everyone," Race warned. "We're in for a bumpy ride."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"No!" Marari objected. "I refuse to go into stasis until Benton and his family arrive."

"Look," John patiently explained to her again. "Everyone is going to be under except Rodney, Dr. Beckett and me."

"But," she started again, holding her cat Prim against her chest. "I need to know if they make it."

"I understand how you feel." He gently guided her next to the tube. The clear round structure reminded her of a very old 1950's science fiction movie. "We've got fighters headed our way. We need everyone secure." John motioned around the room. "This is the safest place in the entire city."

"John," her tone warned. His expression told her he knew she could toss him across the room if she wanted.

"No, Marari. Not this time." He helped her step inside and closed the opening. Briefly she felt panicked, like being locked in a small space with no escape.

"It'll be okay," she heard Dr. Keller's distorted voice. "Just relax, breath in the gas."

"Benton," she whimpered, putting Prim, who had already fallen asleep on the floor. She prayed as she scrubbed to the process that she saw him again, although Marari had no idea if she would.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

By the time the Quests arrived, everyone on Atlantis had been placed in stasis. Only three people were still awake and the minute the jet touched down, the shield popped into place. Lucky for them, Rodney had made some improvements so the city couldn't be seen at all. The two fighters flying after the Quest jet went past them heading further north.

McKay smiled. "I wonder how long they'll keep flying before they realize they lost the plane?"

"No idea," John answered. "Dr. Beckett. Please go down and greet out guests and get them into stasis as quickly as you can."

Carson nodded and headed out, taking one of the carts with him. About an hour later John watched as the group came into the city and Beckett lead them to the stasis chamber. Their stuff would be stored in the neighboring room and would be there for their use when they woke up.

Whenever that happened to be.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Benton watched as his family and the Phoenix group were put into the tubes. The process took only a few minutes and it amazed him such technology was available.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"That's classified," Dr. Beckett told him. "Thank you for assisting me, Dr. Quest. Your turn now."

He nodded and entered the tube next to his son. Benton hoped Marari was there. If he had to live the rest of his life, however long that was, it would break his heart. Not that life played fair. Rachelle's unexpected death had reminded him of that.

He closed his eyes, and relaxed, dropping into a deep, but not dreamless sleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Taking a final look around the secured control room, making certain the equipment had been covered, like it had been when the city had been discovered, John headed down to the stasis chamber. When he arrived, Rodney had already been put under, in a spot next to his sister.

Dr. Beckett stood next to the panel, entering information. Hopefully to wake them up in a few years. "When ever you're ready, Colonel."

John nodded and entered the tube, Carson taking one further down. The gases reminded him of scented lemons and spinach, he grinned, hoping McKay, with his citrus allergy, hadn't panicked. Slowly his eyes closed, his body cooling and he entered the deep sleep from which he might never awake.

But he figured he would. After all, it would fun to see what the future would be like.

Author's note: If you want to find out what happened to everyone, please read Always Comes Back to Haunt Us set over two hundred years in the future in the universe of Babylon 5 and Crusade.

**see The Deal to find out what Julian Luna and Pru Halliwell agreed on. This tale also works as a background piece for Recalled, a multi-crossover that offers an alternate ending for Atlantis. Or anytime I write a story when the Kindred and Charmed Ones cross paths.


End file.
